By Any Means Necessary
by Ann Brill White
Summary: A post Season 2 story: Aeryn is brought back to life by Scorpius, who is determined to use the wormhole technology to start a war.
1. Part 1: Resurrection

#  **By Any Means Necessary**

##  **Ann Brill White**

##  Part 1 - Resurrection

  
The impact caused Aeryn Sun to gasp involuntarily, and she swallowed icy water. She managed to struggle to the surface long enough to call out for John Crichton one last time, but the weight and inertia from the ejection seat was already pulling her back down into the lake. Her fingers slid across the ice, and she went under. Aeryn struggled frantically to free herself, but the cold caused her limbs to stiffen. As her body sank, Aeryn gradually began to see a bright white light in front of her, and a strange sensation of floating came over her. The light reminded her of one of Moya's starbursts, and she felt herself move towards it. Her soaked clothes fell away, but her nakedness wasn't uncomfortable. The blinding brightness engulfed her. She felt a snap in her midsection, like a connection being severed, but she didn't care. All she wanted was the light. 

A snuffling sound, and a brush of warm skin across her leg, stopped her from proceeding further toward the light. Aeryn looked down to see the little vork rubbing her leg with a friendly familiarity. She knelt down and stroked it. "What are you doing here?" she asked the vork. It circled around her and nudged her to the right, away from the light. Aeryn stopped and looked down at the creature that she had inadvertently killed. It looked back up at her with pleading eyes and seemed to point off to the right again. "You want me to go that way?" The vork nodded and continued pushing her. Aeryn looked toward the light again, then shrugged. "You obviously want me to follow you. Fine. You win. Lead on." It let out a satisfied trill, then sped off to Aeryn's right. She followed it without seeming to move her legs The vork was leading her towards a different light - not the blinding white light that she'd first seen, but something that seemed more like shimmery fog. "Slow down!" she called out to the vork, who was already diving into the mist with gusto. The vork stopped and waited for her to catch up. It embedded its claws into her body and clambered up onto her shoulder to better direct her. Aeryn hesitated, then stepped forward into the mist. 

She moved as the vork directed her for what seemed like forever without seeing any change to the landscape. The mist seemed to be thinning. Gradually, tall figures became clear to her. A few more steps, and the mist vanished completely. Aeryn saw a grove of six trees that looked like it had been firebombed. The vork made a sad little sound, jumped off of her, and scampered over to the first tree in the grove. Aeryn followed and took a closer look at it. It was a _tapaani_ tree, a common tree used as protection from the elements and predators in agricultural production. It produced beautiful flowers, but it had deep thorns that prevented most predators from attacking it. This _tapaani_ was in bad shape. Although it was a hardy tree, it was encased in a heavy coating of ice that had knocked it over and torn it from its roots. Aeryn had never had much use for natural things before she met Zhaan. But she felt sorry for this poor tree, that had stood as a sentinel and given its life to protect the others. The vork snuffled again, and Aeryn looked up. A few of the other trees in the grove had been damaged, too. The largest tree, with several vines wrapped around it in what appeared to be a symbiotic relationship, had a large char mark where it had been burned. An odd tree with pointed dark green leaves that looked out of place was almost dead from some kind of parasite that was eating away at it. The vork pawed at the base of the green and brown tree and made another sad noise. Aeryn knelt down and examined the blighted tree. "What happened here?" she asked the vork, knowing full well that it couldn't answer. 

"A great evil happened," a woman's voice answered from behind her. Aeryn jumped up and whirled in one swift, practiced motion. She reached for her pulse pistol, and her hand hit her bare thigh. She looked down before she realized that she'd forgotten that she was naked. She looked back up at the woman and took a defensive posture. The woman laughed. Aeryn stared at the woman. She wore a blue iridescent cloak, similar to Zhaan's, that covered her face and most of her body. Her laughter was musical, like a stream running over rocks. Aeryn remained where she was while the woman laughed at her, not knowing what to make of all of this. "Don't be offended, Aeryn Sun," the woman said gently. "I mean you no harm. Quite the opposite." 

"What do you mean?" Aeryn snapped. She relaxed a bit, but only because she didn't want to be laughed at again. 

"You are in my garden. In fact, you have been here for almost two of your cycles, although you didn't realize it." The woman caressed the remains of the_ tapaani_ tree gently. The ice melted where her fingers touched. 

Aeryn was still puzzled. "Who are you, and how do you know my name?" 

The woman reached out and caressed Aeryn's cheek. "I am known by many names throughout the Universe, daughter. However, you may call me by the name that your Delvian friend knows me as - Khalaan." 

"You're the Delvian Goddess?" Aeryn asked incredulously. "You've got it all wrong. You want Zhaan, not me." 

"Don't be so sure," Khalaan laughed. She pushed the hood back from her face, and Aeryn found herself looking at a Delvian with features remarkably similar to her own. "I am the Goddess of all beings. Even Sebacean Peacekeepers." The Goddess looked at the destruction around her and sighed grievously. 

"I still don't know why you summoned me here," Aeryn asked. "What is this place?" 

"Look around, daughter," the Lady gestured. "I think you know." 

Aeryn looked again at the grove. In addition to the dead _tapaani_, the large vine-covered tree and the strange green one, she saw four others. One was a beautiful, graceful blue tree that was obviously very old and well-rooted. Another was a slender tree with gray bark and white leaves that danced prettily whenever a breeze shook them. The third was a short, gnarled bush with prickly needles instead of leaves. The fourth tree, which stood on the opposite side of the grove from where she stood, was a stout, solid tree with hanging branches that had withstood damage but was still thriving. The whole grove reminded her of something familiar. "This is us?" Aeryn gestured at the trees. "This is Moya and her crew?" 

"Very good. This grove is your representation in the Spirit World," Khalaan answered. 

"You didn't answer my question. What do you want with me? I'm a warrior, not a priest." 

The Goddess smiled and cupped Aeryn's face in Her hand. "Warriors are also called to serve, Aeryn Sun. A great evil is abroad. It threatens to upset the fabric of the Universe." 

"You mean Scorpius?" 

"Among others," Khalaan replied. "You see, my daughter, I need a warrior, a champion to fight this evil presence. If you choose to be my champion, you will be sent back. You will be the weapon in my hand, the sword of the Goddess." 

"If I choose?" 

"All beings have free will. If you choose not to do this, nothing will change. Your body will remain frozen, and your spirit will cross over to its next life. I am offering you a second chance for life. The charge is not easy, and will require great courage to survive. I will be with you at all times, guiding you along the path." 

"And if I fail?" 

Khalaan smiled at her. "You won't fail, my child. I chose you for a reason. Your skill will help you to succeed." She gestured to the other trees in the grove, then walked to the strange-looking green tree. The tree reminded her of John, another transplant that had been forced to adapt to new surroundings. The Goddess nodded her agreement. "You were chosen long before this," she explained. "Look within yourself, and you'll understand that." 

"I'll do ask you ask, Lady," Aeryn readily agreed. She reached out and gently caressed the blighted tree, feeling its rough bark beneath her fingertips. "Someone once told me that where there's life, there's hope. Even in a hopeless situation." 

"Very well," the Lady nodded. "Remember, my daughter, I will be with you always. Listen to your inner voice, and I will be there." She held up her hand, and placed it on the crown of Aeryn's head. She felt an electric charge go through her from her head to her toes. Then the grove and the Goddess disappeared, and she was back in the mist. 

*** 

Scorpius walked out of the Diagnostan's operating room humming a strange tune that he'd heard Crichton sing - badly - when he left him in the Depository to die. But Crichton would not be a problem any more. Without the Diagnostan's help, Crichton's brain would probably melt into nothing. Not that he cared. He had what he wanted from the wily Human. He held it in the jar in his hand. Now all it took was to download the wormhole technology, and his plan would be under way. 

Lieutenant Braca rendezvoused with him at the entrance to the facility. "The traitor, Aeryn Sun, is dead," Braca announced. "She apparently died after ejecting into the frozen lake." 

A smile crept across Scorpius' face. "Tell me, what happened to the body?" 

"I saw it in the cryogenic storage area. As far as I could tell, there was no damage. Most likely she drowned." 

"I see. Take a team and retrieve the body," he directed. "Keep her frozen. I believe we can make some use of this situation." 

Braca grinned, following the hybrid's train of thought. "Very good, sir," he smiled, then turned away, back into the cold storage area. 

Scorpius tented his fingers and chuckled to himself. "Love is such a powerful emotion. My dear Crichton, I think I may have just found your weakness." 

Two arns later, Braca and his team returned successfully to the Command Carrier. Scorpius met the team in the carrier's medical bay. Two med techs rolled a gurney with the cryogenically-frozen body into an operating room. Scorpius and Braca joined them, observing from a corner of the room. 

"Her core temperature is thirty degrees below optimum," a female doctor reported. "We'll need to intubate her," she said, then carefully inserted a tube down Aeryn's throat. "Pumping in warmed oxygen." 

A second doctor was preparing a cardiovert. He raised the paddles, then called out "Clear!", then put the paddles to Aeryn's chest. She jerked when the jolt hit her, but to no result. A third tech increased the charge, and they shocked the body again. Still, nothing happened. 

"Keep trying," Scorpius urged. 

"Sir, this isn't going to work. We need a cardiac rhythm before..." 

"I said, keep trying!" Scorpius growled. 

The tech jumped back in fear. "Turn it up all the way," he directed. The tech running the crash cart looked skeptical, but followed orders. "Clear!" the male tech yelled, then placed the paddles on Aeryn's chest again. Her body jerked violently again. The monitor beeped. 

"Sir, we have a sinus rhythm!" the female doctor announced with relief. The male looked over at Scorpius, who nodded once. The man picked up a syringe with a large barrel and a thick needle approximately six centimeters long. He injected it directly into Aeryn's carotid artery. The tech who was running the crash cart turned her attention to a monitor mounted behind the bed. Five microts later, Aeryn gasped involuntarily and began to cough up water. The techs rolled her onto her side, and another one held a basin up under her mouth to catch the water. A few microts later, her back arched and her heartbeat raced. "She's seizing!" the female tech called out as they tried to restrain Aeryn's limbs. 

"We have minimal brain activity," the tech watching the monitor announced as Aeryn's seizure stopped. "She's in a deep comatose state." 

"Very good," the woman doctor said. "Start an IV with heated liquid. We need to get her core temperature back to normal. I want someone watching those monitors at all time. Contact me if there's any change." 

"Good work, Doctors," Scorpius smiled. "Please keep me informed of your patient's status." With that, he swept out of the operating room, followed closely by Braca. 

**Three Solar Days later:**

Scorpius was awakened by a call from the male doctor. "The patient is making excellent progress, sir," he said. "She's awakening from her coma. Brain, heart, and respiratory functions are within normal parameters." 

"Is the patient able to be moved? Scorpius asked. 

"I believe so. She's off the ventilator, and we can probably take out the IV before we move her. I'd say that our little experiment worked perfectly." 

The hybrid smiled. "Very good. I'll see you shortly," he said, then cut off the transmission. So far, everything was working perfectly. He would have his revenge on John Crichton yet. 

*** 

The first sensation Aeryn had was that of being sucked underneath water. She tried to fight her way back up to the surface, but her arms and legs were restrained. She fought to free them, but a wave of dizziness and nausea came over her. Without warning, the contents of her stomach came back up and threatened to choke her. She heard a male voice say something that she couldn't make out, then her right arm was released and someone rolled her over onto her left side. She vomited water for several microts, until her heaving stomach was empty. 

"Is that the last of it?" a familiar voice asked. She couldn't place it, only that it was a man's voice that she'd heard before. She felt like she was spinning, and was terribly cold. 

"I believe so," a female voice responded. Aeryn was laid flat on her back again, but her right hand was left free. "In case she vomits again." 

"Good idea," a third voice, another man, said. "Clean that mess up, then leave us." 

"As you wish, sir," the woman responded. Aeryn heard movement to her left, probably the sound of the floor beneath her being cleaned. Then she heard the sound of footsteps moving away from her position. The room had mercifully stopped spinning. She heard heavier footsteps approaching her. 

"You're awake," the third man observed. Aeryn was sure that she hadn't given any sign of being conscious. "You can't conceal it from me." 

She opened her eyes slowly. Her vision was cloudy, and all she saw was a black and white blob. She shook her head, and her vision cleared. Scorpius was staring down at her! She stiffened involuntarily and tried to roll away, but she was still restrained. Aeryn reached up with her right arm to try to grab his neck, but her arm remained immobile. "What the frell?" she stammered. "Where am I?" 

"Back where you belong, my dear," Scorpius smiled evilly. "A place you should never have left." 

She looked past him. "You captured Moya?" Although, the walls and ceiling didn't look like those in a Leviathan. 

"Don't be stupid. What would I want with a damaged Leviathan?" Scorpius laughed. Aeryn felt a cold chill go down her spine at the sound. She couldn't forget how he'd driven John insane. "No, you're back on your old command carrier. Although, in a different capacity." 

She recognized her surroundings now. She had only been in Crais' quarters once, shortly after the incident with Velorek three or four cycles ago. It wasn't a pleasant memory. "If you think you can get to Crichton through me, you're deluded," she whispered. 

"Oh, no. I have what I want from John Crichton. Which is something that I'm sure you'll never be able to say," Scorpius stroked her cheek with a leather-gloved finger. Aeryn shuddered and pulled away. He trailed his finger down her left arm, and released the restraint. Aeryn lifted her arm. It was covered in a tight leather sleeve. She felt her body - it was encased in the same material. She sat up and looked down at herself, and gasped. She was wearing the all-black, form-fitting catsuit that she'd last seen on Scorpius' blonde assistant in the Shadow Depository. "You see, Crichton killed my last assistant with the explosive that was meant for me. So, I needed a new assistant. You didn't seem like you were going anywhere." 

Everything was coming back to her now. "I remember ejecting from the Prowler and falling," she recollected. 

"You drowned. Lieutenant Braca found you and brought you back here." Braca stepped forward and stood behind Scorpius and winked at her. 

Aeryn got a flash of talking to someone that looked like herself, but wasn't, in a grove of trees. She quickly buried that thought, before Scorpius could sense it. "You're insane if you think I'm going to help you." 

"Oh, but you will," Scorpius replied. He released the restraints on her legs. She swung them over the edge of the raised platform. "You have no choice in the matter." 

Within a heartbeat, Aeryn pushed off the platform, lunged toward Scorpius, and put her hands around his throat. The force of her impact pushed him backwards towards the wall, and she traveled with him. The look of surprise on the half-breed's face made her press even harder. The image of John fighting this monster's control with every fiber of his being - and losing - came to her as she choked the life out of him. 

Then, without warning, her muscles went rigid. She let out a cry of surprise as she tried to move and couldn't. In fact, her hands were loosening around Scorpius' neck. He reached up and pulled her arms apart, and stepped out of her grasp casually. Then, he reached up and touched her face in an intimate way, like a lover. Aeryn tried to pull away from him. "I was hoping that you would cooperate, so we could save this demonstration until later. However," he sighed dramatically, "I suppose that we'll have to do this now." He reached down to a black box on his belt that she hadn't noticed before. 

Suddenly, every nerve in her body felt like it was on fire! _I will not scream_, she said to herself as the pain increased incrementally. The lessons learned in the survival portion of basic training kicked in. _I am a Pleisar. I have been trained to resist torture. I will not scream...._ Her knees buckled under the onslaught, and she collapsed to the deck, writhing in agony. Still, the pain kept increasing. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she distantly heard screaming. She realized that it was herself. Just as suddenly as it began, the pain ended. Every nerve in her body was throbbing, her pulse was racing, and she panted to suck air into her constricted lungs. When Aeryn opened her eyes, Scorpius was looking down at her and grinning. "What...the...frell...did...you...do...to...me?" she managed to gasp. 

"You held out longer than I expected, Aeryn Sun. My complements. I see that you haven't forgotten all of your Peacekeeper training," he laughed. "You see, in order to revive you, we had to inject you with nanobots that are now controlling all of your muscles and nervous system. I control them from this remote," he touched the box on his belt. "I could stop your heart if I wanted to. Unfortunately, our scientists haven't found a way for the nanobots to control higher brain functions. So, you get the added benefit of being able to think for yourself, but not act accordingly." 

"Why didn't you just leave me dead?" she hissed back at him. She put her hand on the platform and started to stand up shakily. 

"Oh, no, my sweet. You're much more valuable alive. Especially in this condition. I can make you do anything, and all you can do is watch. Oh, you can still move on your own volition, as you are now discovering. But I can override your nervous system with a flick of the switch." He demonstrated by reaching down to his belt again. Aeryn felt herself kneeling back down onto the floor, and fought it with every fiber of her being. "Don't struggle, my dear. You'll only injure yourself, and I wouldn't want that to happen," Scorpius cautioned her. 

"Frell... you!" Aeryn snapped back. She was on her hands and knees, crawling toward Scorpius. She looked over at Braca, who was watching all of this with great pleasure. "Lieutenant! If you have a scrap of honor left in you, please stop this! Peacekeepers don't do this to each other!" She begged as she came face-to-face with Scorpius' boot. 

Braca laughed. "You forget, _Officer_ Sun, that you are no longer a Peacekeeper. You are irreversibly contaminated. You know what that makes you? It makes you dren! You have been engaged in traitorous activities for almost two cycles now. By rights, you should have been executed painfully and slowly. Personally, I'm going to enjoy every microt of this." 

"Well, then have some of my contamination!" she hissed, then spat directly onto the toe of Scorpius' boot. 

He looked down at the gob of spit running down his boot, and smiled. "Oh, good. I needed a polish anyway." He turned another switch, and Aeryn felt herself lowering down. Her mouth opened, and she licked her spit off of Scorpius' boot, then kissed it. Another wave of nausea came over her, and her stomach heaved. Scorpius stepped away, then released his hold on her body. Aeryn sprawled forward onto her stomach in the middle of the floor and dry-heaved. She gagged, trying to get the taste out of her mouth. It was the bitter taste of her own defeat. 

Aeryn heard a gentle voice in the back of her head that reminded her of Zhaan. "Courage, my daughter," the woman encouraged her. "I am with you. You will survive this." She focused on the woman's voice, and the nausea faded. 

"Come, my dear," Scorpius said. "We have another appointment to keep. You can get up yourself, or I can force you to do it. It's your decision." Wordlessly, she looked up at Scorpius defiantly, but rose to her knees of her own volition. Scorpius extended a hand to help her up the rest of the way. Aeryn refused it. She held on to the platform to stand the rest of the way. She wiped a leather sleeve across her mouth, then tossed her loose hair back behind her shoulders in an effort to make herself presentable. Although she continued to stare daggers at Scorpius and Braca, she followed them when they left Scorpius' quarters and walked out onto the bridge. 

"Captain on deck!" a lower-ranking officer called out as the three of them entered. Aeryn kept her back straight and eyes focused on the back of Braca's head to avoid the stares of the bridge crew. She hadn't known any of them, since they were higher up the food chain than the Pleisars were. The silence on the bridge spoke volumes. She just kept her focal point and tried to ignore the hate directed at her. 

The navigator, a tall woman with short blonde hair wearing a dress uniform, approached Braca and Scorpius. "Sir," she asked, looking down her nose at Aeryn, "what is that traitorous piece of dren doing on the bridge? Let me have the honor of executing her!" The woman reached past Braca and spat in Aeryn's face. Aeryn stood stonily, her hands behind her back, as the gob of spit ran down her cheek. 

"Now, lieutenant, that's no way to treat my new assistant," Scorpius reproached the navigator. The crew stared at Aeryn in total shock. Scorpius stepped back and put his arm around her. Again, Aeryn stood at attention, not moving a muscle. "I know that this may come as a surprise to everyone, but the former Officer Sun will be acting as my new assistant. In case you're wondering, I have taken measures to ensure her complete loyalty and cooperation." Scorpius stroked her cheek intimately and wiped the spit off of it. She clenched her jaws and swallowed. "I expect everyone to give her the _respect_ that she deserves," Scorpius grinned. "Just make sure that she remains alive and fit for duty." Aeryn knew what that meant. Scorpius had given her former shipmates a line that they couldn't cross. Anything else would be fair game. "Now, lieutenant, I want to you open a channel to the crippled Leviathan..." 

*** 

The three solar days since Aeryn's funeral were the most difficult that Zhaan had ever faced since she began the Delvian Seek. Part of being a priest was comforting the bereaved after a death. But, none of her studies had taught her how to comfort others when she herself was one of the grief-stricken. Zhaan knew that the others were looking to her for spiritual guidance, but she didn't know how to help them. All that she could do was to make herself available. 

Since the morning after Scorpius had left John for dead on the planet, Zhaan had periodically gone from room to room checking on everyone's status. As she made her rounds, the only sound she heard was the whirr of two DRDs who were accompanying her. Usually this time of the day, she'd hear D'Argo and Chiana talking, Rygel's thronesled, and John singing badly in the shower. Today there was nothing, not even Rygel's sled. 

First she checked in on D'Argo, Chiana, and Jothee. She'd noticed the growing attachment between the two teens, and thought about approaching D'Argo about it before someone got hurt. She knocked quietly, then put her head into D'Argo's quarters. The Luxan was staring out the window into space, his back to the door. She saw no sign of the teens. "Morning, Zhaan," he grumbled. 

"Chiana and Jothee are up early," she observed casually. 

"She's showing him where the refrigeration unit is," he replied. He looked up at her with sad eyes. "I've been thinking. None of this would have happened if we hadn't tried to rescue Jothee. I wonder, Zhaan, was it worth it?" 

Zhaan crossed the room and put her hand on D'Argo's arm. "Sweet D'Argo," she smiled gently, "We all knew what the risks were. Your son is free. Freedom comes with a price." 

"Was the price of my son's freedom too high for us to pay? Was it worth the damage to Moya? Crichton's sanity? Aeryn's life? I had no right to ask that of them!" 

Zhaan turned around to face him. "Scorpius' chip would have driven John to insanity regardless. As for Aeryn, she was a warrior. She risked her life to save John, and lost. Don't blame yourself for this, blame Scorpius. He is responsible, not you." 

"I do blame him. And I swear that I'll have my vengeance on him for the havoc that he's caused," he growled. 

She smiled weakly, not wanting to argue with the Luxan any more. He was angry now, but experience had shown that he would eventually listen to reason and give up on any retribution. What was done was done. "May I give you some unsolicited advice?" 

"Go ahead, because I know that I can't stop you." 

"Channel your anger and regret into healing your relationship with your son. He's a deeply troubled young man, and he needs your help." 

That gave him pause. "You're right, as usual," he smiled. She reached over and kissed him gently. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the lips. Wordlessly, they released each other, and she left his room. 

As she made her way down the hall, she heard a sniffling sound coming from Rygel's quarters. She knocked quietly, and heard Rygel invite her in. 

"Oh, it's you," he said drily. He was at his easel painting. "Well, come in if you're going to." He turned back around and began to paint again. Zhaan did a double-take at what Rygel was working on. It was a picture of Aeryn, standing and cradling her pulse-rifle, the way they'd seen her do many times. Granted, he wasn't the best artist in the galaxy, but he'd done a passable job. 

"That's very touching," Zhaan observed. "You managed to capture her spirit on the canvas. I'm sure that she would be honored." 

"Don't kid yourself, Blue," the little Hynerian grumbled. "She'd probably take her pulse-rifle to it. I just wanted..." he choked up and couldn't go on. 

Zhaan reached out and rubbed his earbrow. "I know, Rygel. You wanted something to remember her by. I think it's wonderful." She reached over and kissed him on the forehead. 

Rygel batted her away petulantly. "Don't tell the others. Especially not Crichton." 

"It will be our secret," she assured him. "I am surprised at you, Rygel. I thought that you would be rummaging through Aeryn's things for valuables, at the very least." 

The Hynerian looked insulted. "Please!" he harrumphed. "She saved my life! Besides, we both know that she had nothing of value except that cheap locket that Chiana gave her." They exchanged looks, and Rygel laughed. 

"Of course," Zhaan agreed, keeping his secret. "I will let you get back to work. I want to check on Crichton." As she left the room, she heard Rygel grumbling over his easel again. Sometimes the little pest did something that surprised her. This was one of those times. 

She crossed the corridor to Crichton's quarters. Unlike the others, they were dark. The door was shut. This was a bad sign. Without knocking, she opened the door and went in. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw John sitting on his bed, staring out the window into space. An untouched plate of food cubes sat on the bed next to him. He was holding something close to his body. He said a few things that sounded like gibberish, shook his head, then whispered "get out." Even though he sounded hostile, Zhaan took the fact that he was able to speak coherently as a positive sign of his healing. 

"John, you've been like this since we got back from the planet," she began. After Scorpius had killed the Diagnostan, Zhaan and Stark had found John alone and screaming, strapped to the operating table with his brain cavity open. The two of them had managed to close the wound, and get John up and moving. However, he was suffering from aphasia, and couldn't speak intelligibly. What he said to her just now were the first coherent words he'd said in three days. Since they had gotten back from the planet, John had retreated into himself. He said so little that Zhaan wondered if his more parts of his brain had been permanently damaged by the operation. "You have to eat something." 

"Get out!" he said more forcefully, then babbled a stream of incoherent hostility at her. 

Ignoring his warning, Zhaan moved closer. She saw that the thing in his lap was Aeryn's coat. Her heart broke to see him like this. "I wanted to see how you were doing," she said. He picked up the plate of food cubes and threw it at her. Without missing a beat, Zhaan caught the plate, but the cubes went flying across the room. "Keep this up, and Scorpius will have won." 

"He... has," John whimpered, his rage spent. "Want... to... die." 

His words struck fear in Zhaan's soul. He was suicidal, and there was no way that she could heal him. Trembling, she put a hand on his shoulder. "John, promise me something. Promise me that you will not kill yourself. We've lost Aeryn. We do not want to lose you, too." He didn't say a word, but leaned his head over onto her hand. She bent over and embraced him from behind. "I need you too much," she whispered. Zhaan held him in her embrace for several microts before she kissed his cheek and released him. Wordlessly, she walked toward the door. 

"Blue," John called after her. She turned around and looked back at him. John was still staring out the window and holding Aeryn's coat. "Promise." She smiled gently, even though he couldn't see it, then left the room, brushing a tear from her cheek. 

She had one last crewmate that she wanted to check on before she would be satisfied. Zhaan made her way to Pilot's den and entered softly. "Pa'u Zhaan," Pilot greeted her. He was looking rather gray and in pain. Part of that was from what had happened to Moya, but the rest was his profound loss. "You are checking up on me, I suppose?" 

"How are you and Moya doing?" she asked. 

"Moya's burned areas are healing slowly. She is in a great deal of pain, both physically and emotionally." 

Zhaan looked down, not wanting to meet Pilot's eyes. "I regret causing Moya pain, but it was the only way to save her. I am so sorry, Pilot. Please let her know that." 

"She does not blame you, Zhaan," Pilot assured her. "Moya knows that you did what you had to do to protect her. It is just that," he hesitated slightly, "she is grieving for Officer Sun. She insists that Aeryn is still alive somewhere, where we are unable reach her. Perhaps it is because she is in pain, but she is convinced she can feel Aeryn. I am trying to persuade her otherwise, but I would rather believe Moya." 

"I know, my friend. I know." She reached up and stroked a tear away from Pilot's face. "How are you holding up?" 

Pilot hung his head, and she continued to stroke his cheek. "When I was in Chiana's body, I learned a great deal of things. I later realized that the feelings that she has for her brother are similar to those I have for Officer Sun. She was like a," he searched for the word, "sibling to me. Moya and I care for all of you, but we both felt something more for Aeryn. I will miss her for the rest of my life." He looked up at her. "I have never felt loss like this before. For obvious reasons, I did not become attached to the Peacekeepers that were controlling Moya. I felt some gratitude toward Lieutenant Velorek, but only because he gave me the opportunity to be the pilot of a Leviathan. But, I have never lost anyone close to me before. How do you deal with the feelings, Zhaan?" 

"We each deal with them in our own way, I suppose," she confessed. "Some of us deal better than others," she said, and thought of John, alone and on the verge of suicide. 

"How are you doing?" Pilot asked. 

She was surprised at his question. The others were too deep in their own grief to worry about her. "I am a Pa'u. My training is to comfort others in times of loss. I fear that, because I am also grieving, my efforts may not be enough. Even though Aeryn and I did not always understand each other, I've watched her grow and thrive here. I can only take comfort in the fact that she is with the Goddess now." 

Pilot was about to respond, but was interrupted by a signal light on his console. He looked down at it. "Zhaan, we are being hailed by the Scorpius' command carrier," he said, then looked up at her nervously. 

"I wonder what that monster wants now?" she muttered. "Tell everyone to assemble in command. I will meet them there." Pilot nodded. "Oh, and one other thing." She reached up and kissed his leathery cheek. "Thank you. You were the only one to inquire about me." 

"I guessed as much," he nodded, as a wordless look passed between them. He then patched through to the rest of the crew as Zhaan left. 

Since she was so close, Zhaan was the first one to reach command. Chiana and Jothee came in a few microts later. The girl looked unkempt. As D'Argo entered, both Chiana and Jothee's body language showed that something had passed between them that they didn't want his father to know about. Finally, John staggered into Command, being prodded by Rygel. "You stupid yotz," Rygel snapped at Crichton, "you've moped long enough. Pilot said everyone. That includes you!" 

"Shut... up!" Crichton croaked, then hurled another stream of invective at Rygel. The others turned to look at John in shock, since it was the first time they'd heard him speak coherently since his return. 

Pilot's face came up on the clamshell monitor. "Patching the message through now," he announced. Scorpius's face appeared on the screen. Zhaan heard John wince. "Greetings, John. Oh, and the others, too." Scorpius sneered. He was back on the bridge of the Command Carrier, which worried Zhaan. "You continue to amaze me with your capability to survive. However, I just wanted to wish you all goodbye before we left you permanently." 

"You couldn't resist the chance to gloat, could you?" D'Argo stepped forward and snapped at their tormentor. "What more can you take from us?" 

Zhaan bit her lip with worry. Perhaps it was a mistake to bring John up here to witness this last humiliation. He was staring at Scorpius with a darkness that frightened her."Oh, no. I've gotten everything I wanted from John. Plus, a little unexpected bonus..." 

"What are you talking about?" D'Argo challenged. 

"Meet my new assistant," he grinned, and motioned for someone to come into range of the screen. The person must have hesitated, because he reached over and pulled. To everyone's shock, Aeryn Sun came onto the screen! She looked to be in perfect health, even though she was dressed in the leather outfit that Scorpius' assistant wore. Her hair was down, and her gray eyes stared defiantly at Scorpius. 

"_By the Hynerian Gods_!" Rygel muttered. Chiana gasped, and D'Argo growled. What little color was left in John's face drained, and he turned almost as gray as the Nebari. "What have you done?" Rygel was the first to find his voice and asked. 

"A small experiment, to see if our latest technology would work," Scorpius replied. He caressed Aeryn's cheek lovingly. She flinched away from his hand. "I'm sure you'll agree that it performed spectacularly." 

"Aeryn!" John cried out and rushed forward. D'Argo ran forward and restrained John from breaking the screen. Crichton fought the Luxan's grasp. 

On the screen, Aeryn turned suddenly. She threw a well-placed kick into Scorpius' groin. He staggered backwards. "John! Don't come after me! It's what he wants!" she shouted out as the guards restrained her. Scorpius reached to his side, and suddenly Aeryn doubled over in pain. The guards let her go. She sunk to her knees, then fell whimpering on the floor in agony. Another movement by Scorpius caused her spine to bow, and she finally screamed out in anguish. 

D'Argo grabbed John and physically turned him, so the Human wouldn't have to face the sight of Aeryn being tortured. Mercifully, the transmission was suddenly cut off. Zhaan looked around the room. Chiana was weeping, Rygel was sniffling, and John was shaking, trying not to break down in tears himself. Jothee looked at them and asked, "what happened?" 

"I am sorry," Pilot announced through the clamshell. His voice was shaking with shock. "I cut the transmission off. I could not watch any more," he confessed quietly. Chiana crossed the room and pulled John and D'Argo into a three-way embrace. 

"Thank you, Pilot," Zhaan said with relief. "Neither could we." 

"Pilot!" D'Argo broke from Chiana's embrace. John put his head on the Nebari's shoulder and let her comfort him. "Ready a transport!" 

"Where do you think you're going?" Rygel floated forward to confront the Luxan. 

"I'm going after them! Get out of my way, you little coward, unless you're coming along!" D'Argo pushed Rygel out of the way, but the Hynerian floated forward again, this time staying out of D'Argo's reach. 

"Didn't you hear what she said? Scorpius is daring us to do just that! He'll be waiting for us, ready to blow us out of the sky!" 

Jothee stepped forward to D'Argo's side. "I'm coming with you, Father!" 

"Me... too...," another voice said. John shook off Chiana's embrace. The Human had a frightening, deadly look on his face, one that Zhaan had never seen before. "Hurt Aeryn," he struggled to say, then pounded the table with his fist as the words wouldn't come. 

"Khalaan help us, now we have three of them," Zhaan muttered. "D'Argo, you need to think this through." 

"No we don't," D'Argo shot back, drawing his gun. "We go over to the command carrier, we get Aeryn back, and I rip that freak apart piece by piece." 

"Emphasis on _Command Carrier_! You'll never make it past the first line of defense!" Chiana added her voice to the debate. 

"Pa'u Zhaan," Pilot interrupted the debate. "You should meditate on this." 

She sighed. Pilot was right. The savage that always prowled below levels of training wanted to join them, to go in there and destroy Scorpius for what he had done. But that was wrong. "Not now, Pilot. I will need to meditate on this, but not right now." 

"Zhaan," Pilot addressed her more forcefully. "Moya says that you must meditate _now_." 

She remembered the conversation she'd had with Pilot, which now seemed like it had been arns ago. Moya's instincts had proved correct once. She had to trust that the Leviathan had a reason for her insistence. "Very well," she agreed, then looked back at the men. D'Argo was looking particularly upset at this interruption. "_No one_ is to leave this ship while I am in meditation. Pilot, lock down the docking bay. No ship is to leave unless I say so." 

"Who is in command here, anyway?" D'Argo snapped at her. "There isn't time for this. Scorpius is getting away!" 

Zhaan faced D'Argo, and shoved him aside with a flick of her arm. "_Moya_ is in command here. I do not know why she is asking this, but I know better than to disregard her intuition." She swept out of Command, leaving a stunned Luxan in her wake. 

*** 

Zhaan found it almost impossible to clear her mind of the images she had just witnessed. She forced herself to ground, center, and breathe the way she had learned during her initial studies of the Seek. The incense and candle helped her to focus, and gradually she sank down into a meditative state. Her spirit went immediately to the grove that was the spiritual representation of Moya and her crew. The grove had been decimated since she was last here, which was consistent with its counterpart on the physical plane. She ran her fingers along the burned part of the central tree with sadness and regret. "Khalaan, I am here. Why did you summon me?" Zhaan called out. 

"Zhaan?" a familiar woman's voice with a Sebacean accent came from behind her. 

"Aeryn!" She turned to see Aeryn Sun - or her spirit - facing her. Aeryn extended her right hand, and Zhaan put her left hand up to it. "How did you...?" 

"Your Goddess seems to think that I'm someone special. She sent me back, with a little help from Scorpius and his nanobots," Aeryn explained. "Khalaan wants me to stop Scorpius." 

Zhaan tried to comprehend what her friend was telling her. "Nanobots? But, that's..." 

"Experimental Peacekeeper technology. He's controlling my body, but my mind is free. That's how he was able to inflict enough pain to..." she looked away. Zhaan put her hand on the other woman's shoulder in comfort. Aeryn covered Zhaan's hand with her own in gratitude. "How are the others?" 

"Taking everything pretty hard, I'm afraid." 

"Rygel hasn't gone through my things, has he?" Aeryn smiled. 

"He told me that you had nothing worth stealing," Zhaan returned the grin. 

"Good," Then the Peacekeeper's expression turned wistful. "How are Pilot and Moya?" 

"Pilot misses you terribly. Moya is healing slowly. She felt your presence, even before Scorpius' little show." 

"Tell Pilot that I miss him and Moya as well. And John?" she whispered. 

Zhaan looked away. "Not good." She filled Aeryn in on what had happened since her Prowler went down. "He is suicidal, Aeryn. When he saw what happened to you, the change in him was frightening. He and D'Argo were ready to go after you, whatever it took." 

"No! They can't!" She gasped in horror and grasped Zhaan's shoulders. "You have to make them understand that it's suicide. Tell them, Zhaan! Don't try to rescue me!" 

"What about you?" 

"Tell them not to worry. I'll endure this. Your Goddess has been helping me. Just let everyone know that I'll do whatever it takes to escape and make it back to you." 

An idea occurred to Zhaan. "You have close access to Scorpius, right?" 

"Yes. He keeps me locked up in his quarters. What are you thinking of?" 

"Find out his plans, and let me know through this link. While you are awake, do not think about our link, or anything about this. John told me once that Scorpius can sense general thoughts, but he cannot read minds. Being a spy will take a great deal of subtlety and guile." 

"I'll just think of what Chiana would do in the same situation," she grinned. "I need to go," she said, looking over her shoulder. "Someone is attempting to revive my body. Tell John that I forgive him, and not to give up hope," she whispered. Her image faded, then disappeared entirely. Zhaan willed herself back into her physical body, and found herself back in her quarters aboard Moya. After extinguishing the candle, she went to tell the others what she had learned. 

*** 

Someone was shaking her roughly. Aeryn groaned and opened her eyes to see Lieutenant Braca with his hands on her shoulders. She was laying on the pallet in Scorpius' quarters. Every muscle in her body screamed in pain from the torture, and the violent shaking wasn't helping. She sat up and glared at him. "Braca," she hissed, "what the frell do you want now?" 

He leered at her and laughed. "An appropriate choice of words," he chuckled, and reached to unzip his pants. 

_Well, I knew this was coming_, she thought. _At least it's only Braca_. She let out a sigh. "I suppose that this is the part where you rape me while I beg for mercy, Scorpius watches, and you both get your thrills. Or, is recreation part of the bargain that I was forced into?" 

Braca looked annoyed. "There was no bargain. You'll do whatever I say." 

Aeryn gave him a withering look. "Whatever _you _say? I thought Scorpius was the one with the controller. Or, is he letting you play with his toys when he's not around?" Braca slapped her face hard. After having every pain receptor in her body go into overdrive, his slap was the equivalent of an insect bite. "So, that _is_ it!" she laughed. "You thought you'd come in here and have some fun while your master is otherwise occupied? You are so pathetic!" 

He slapped her again, this time on her other cheek. "Shut up, you tralk! You're lucky I don't throw you below decks to the infantry! You're forgetting what you are!" 

"Oh, am I? I know exactly what I am, _Lieutenant_. I'm a prisoner, a very valuable one. The way I see it, I'm forced to lick that monster's boots. You're doing it by choice. So, who's the tralk here - me or you?" Another slap. This one caused her teeth to rattle. "Careful, Braca," she warned, "you're damaging his property. He might put _you_ in the Aurora Chair for that." 

"No, he reserves that pleasure for the lesser life-form that you've been recreating with," Braca shot back. 

Aeryn was actually enjoying this. Now that she wasn't a Peacekeeper anymore, she had no restrictions on what she could say to her former superior. "Would that be the lesser life-form that kicked your eema several times? Remember who taught him how to fight!" 

"And remember who has control over you!" he held out the black box and turned a dial. Aeryn felt herself sliding off of the pallet and kneeling on the deck in front of Braca. He unzipped his trousers and pulled out his erect member. 

Aeryn looked up at him archly. "So, what do you want, sympathy?" she laughed, then gasped as a bolt of pain coursed through her body. 

"In your mouth, tralk. And don't even think about using your teeth!" 

"I think the Hynerian was bigger," she snickered as he forced his member into her face. Her jaws were forced open, and he leaned in closer to her. 

"Lieutenant Braca!" Scorpius growled from the other side of the room. Braca pulled back immediately, and quickly pulled himself together, releasing his control on her at the same time. She smirked at the sight of the First Officer trying to zip his pants over the obvious bulge, and she wished that he'd catch himself in it. Scorpius snarled, crossed the room in three paces, and pulled the controller out of Braca's hand. "I did not give you authorization to be in here!" Braca stepped back as Scorpius laid into him. "You are not to touch her unless I give you permission!" 

Aeryn casually stood up and pulled herself together while enjoying the show. "Sir, I tried to tell him that, but he wouldn't listen to me," she jumped in, hoping to get a few licks of a different kind than Braca had wanted. She had a brief thought of Rygel teaching her how to gamble, specifically how to bluff. _Goddess, give me the strength to do this_, she thought. She took a deep breath to screw up her courage, and sidled over to Scorpius. The hybrid regarded her skeptically. Aeryn did a passable imitation of Chiana, and rubbed her front up against Scorpius' side. "Lieutenant Braca insisted on showing me his _shortcomings_." Braca glared at her, but said nothing. Aeryn smiled sweetly at him. 

"Curious," Scorpius muttered as he looked into her face. Aeryn focused on what she was doing, to avoid giving anything away. "I'm pleased to see that you've changed your mind, my dear. The nanotechnology is still experimental. I didn't want to end up damaging you," he purred, and stroked her face. Aeryn did her best not to flinch away this time. "So, seeing Crichton one last time convinced you to cooperate?" 

"I'm not going to lie to you, Scorpius. I know that it's useless. I've decided to cooperate because I want you to leave Crichton alone. I'm trading you my life for his." 

"You're too late, my pet," he laughed. "You have nothing to bargain for. I've already taken everything I want from him. But just knowing that you're alive, and in my possession, will be the worst torture of all." 

"Then you don't know him as well as you think," she replied. Aeryn knew that she had only one move left. Mentally, she moved the tile into play. She rubbed her hands against the leather encasing Scorpius' buttocks. That got his attention. "I'll bet there's at least one thing about John Crichton that I know and you don't." 

She could see the wheels starting to turn in his twisted mind. "What's that?" he asked. 

Aeryn's hand reached around to the front of his leather uniform, trying to keep the gorge from rising in her throat as she did. "His likes, his dislikes, his... reactions," she purred into Scorpius' ear as she gently squeezed his genitals. 

"Living around lesser life-forms really has corrupted you, Sun," Braca interrupted. 

Aeryn turned to the Lieutenant and arched an eyebrow. "_You_ didn't ask nicely," she smiled sweetly at him. "And besides, you're not the one with the power here." 

"You're dismissed, Lieutenant," Scorpius waved him off. Braca stormed out of the room. "Now, tell me more about Crichton's... behavior." Scorpius purred. 

_John, forgive me_, she thought, then pulled Scorpius down onto the bed and straddled him. "Well, you see...." she began, and unzipped the top of her suit. 

*** 

"All I am telling you," Zhaan explained for what seemed like the fifth time, "Is what Aeryn told me. She specifically said for you not to go after her." 

"In some kind of dream state? How do you know it was really her?" D'Argo growled. "Maybe it was Scorpius manipulating your mind?" 

"He did do a number on you when you attempted Unity," Rygel added. "Who's to say that he didn't manage to get to you again?" 

"You bring up a good argument, Rygel," she agreed. "However, we have no option but to trust Aeryn and do what she says." 

John slammed his hand down on the table so hard that Zhaan jumped."No!" he shouted, then said something else everyone could understand, even though the words weren't coherent. 

Zhaan placed her hand over his. "She loves you, John. She was very worried that you would do something foolish like this. But there is more than just her life at stake now. This is bigger than all of us. You have to believe that. Khalaan willing, she will live and return to us." 

"Think about it, all of you!" Chiana added, staring at D'Argo, then at Jothee. "You would be one transport going against a Command Carrier. We've already lost Aeryn." The tears welled up in her gray eyes again. "I can't lose both of you, too." 

Pilot's face appeared on the clamshell. "I hate to interrupt, but the Command Carrier is pulling out of orbit. A high-level encrypted transmission was sent via deep-space communications." 

Everyone looked up at the screen, to see the stern of the Command Carrier start to get smaller. "Can we follow them?" Rygel asked. 

"I'm afraid not. Moya is still incapable of leaving orbit. And, a transport pod cannot keep up with a Command Carrier doing an average speed of hetch five," he replied with sadness. 

"Do we have any idea where they're headed?" D'Argo asked. 

John struggled to say something. "Scarrans," he managed to choke out. It was all he needed to say. They all understood the implications of what it meant. 

"Yotz," Rygel cursed. "We're going to need some help." 

* * *

[][1]

  
  


   [1]: necess4.htm



	2. Part 2: Allies

#  By Any Means Necessary

##  Part 2 - Allies

  
Aeryn stood in the shower for almost an arn, scrubbing her skin raw under steaming hot water, but she still couldn't get rid of the feeling of being dirty. In a way, it might have been better if Scorpius had raped her. She had made everything up, drawing on things that she'd observed from various sources. The more she exaggerated John's sexual tastes, the more Scorpius believed her and became aroused. She knew that she'd done a good job, because she had to change his cooling rods three times during the night. 

The irony was that John had been a gentle, skillful lover who was more excited by pleasuring her than anything else. She had taken that memory and sullied it by recreating with the monster that had tortured him. She wasn't sure who she hated more - Scorpius or herself. 

Finally, she turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. She picked up a towel and dried herself off, then wrapped up her wet hair and pulled on clean underwear. As she opened the door, a cloud of steam billowed into the main room. Scorpius was sitting at the console. He looked up as she stepped out of the bathroom. 

"Did you take such long showers aboard Moya?" he asked. 

Aeryn laughed. "Frell, no! I wouldn't have heard the end of it if I'd used up all of the hot water!" That, at least, was the truth. "I'm sure that the Captain is allowed certain... luxuries. As is the Captain's woman." 

"Ah, I see," he nodded. "Just don't make a habit of it." 

"Yes, sir." Aeryn struggled to pull the leather catsuit over her still-damp body. She managed to get it over her shoulders and zipped, and noticed that it needed to be taken in across the bust. She combed her hair and began to separate it to pull back into her customary braid. 

"Leave it down," Scorpius ordered casually. 

Aeryn looked up at him. He was smiling provocatively at her, which made her stomach curdle. "I beg your pardon?" 

"I like your hair down. Leave it that way." 

"As you wish," she replied sweetly. As she combed her hair, something else very important occurred to her. "I need to go to the infirmary." 

"Are you ill?" 

_You have no idea_, she thought. "I haven't had a physical examination in two cycles. I need to have my suppressor renewed." _Besides, I want to know exactly what you've done to me, you pervert_, she added mentally. 

"I'll summon one of the doctors up here," he offered. 

"With your permission, I would like to get some exercise." He looked up at her archly. "I'm feeling rather confined here." 

"You are a prisoner, my dear. Granted, it's a gilded cage, but you're still a prisoner." 

"I'm on a ship full of people who want me dead. Where can I run to?" 

"You have a good point. I'll assign a guard to accompany you to the infirmary." 

"Thank you," she crossed the room and sidled up to Scorpius. "I really appreciate this." 

He ignored her, but pressed a button to summon a guard into the room. "Accompany the prisoner to the infirmary. Make sure that she speaks to no one except the staff." 

"Understood, sir!" The guard saluted. Aeryn regarded him coolly. He was a big, brawny enlisted infantryman who looked to be of the "stupid-but-violent" type. Most of the infantry soldiers were. The Peacekeepers carefully weeded out the dimmest bulbs, gave them pulse-rifles, and pointed them at non-Sebaceans. This one was either smarter than most, or just extremely unlucky to be on guard duty for Scorpius. 

"Come along," she said to her monitor, then strode quickly out of his quarters to the main hallway. Big-and-stupid had to hurry to catch up with her. They got onto a lift, which Aeryn directed to the infirmary deck. "So, what's your name, soldier?" she asked casually. 

The guard looked hesitant. "Corporal Sellen Visio," he replied skeptically. 

"Visio, " she made a note of the name. "Do you like working for Scorpius?" He looked down at her with an implied threat. "Just wondering what kind of a commander he is." 

That seemed to relax him. "You're not gonna say anything to him, are you? I mean, you're his woman and all." 

"I'm his _prisoner_. It's a little different. I'm trying to make the best of a bad situation." 

Visio relaxed. "Good. Because between you and me, that half-breed bothers me. My mates and I wonder if he's on our side, the Scarrans', or just out for himself. He's a warped one, your jailer is." 

Aeryn sighed. "You have no idea," she told him. Before she could say any more, the lift stopped and the door opened. Visio became large and in charge once again. The two of them walked down the rest of the hall in silence. Aeryn focused her eyes on the door to the infirmary, rather than endure the hostile stares of her former shipmates. In her peripheral vision, she saw the looks as she walked down the hall with her escort. She simply stiffened her back, kept her eyes forward, and ignored them as she walked into the infirmary. 

A technician greeted her professionally, and led her in to an examination room. Apparently Scorpius had sent word that she was coming, because they had cleared the room. She unzipped her suit, and put on the loose fabric gown that was provided. 

A tall, dark-haired female doctor nervously entered the examination room. "Hello, Officer, uh... Sun," she started, not knowing what title to give her patient. "I'm Doctor Skada" 

Aeryn recognized her voice as the person who had attended her when she first regained consciousness. "'Officer Sun' will do," Aeryn smiled ruefully. "Or, just Aeryn." 

Skada relaxed when she realized that Aeryn was just another patient. "Command informed me that you were coming. What can I do for you?" 

"Two things. First of all, I need to know status of my hormonal suppressant. Can you tell me if I need a new one? For obvious reasons, I want to make sure that I don't get pregnant." 

"Easily done," Skada replied. "Let me do a quick scan, first." She took an electronic scanner from the counter and ran it over Aeryn's body, stopping when she reached the scar on her patient's right side. "You paraphoral nerve was ruptured? When did that happen?" 

"About a cycle ago. I was on the wrong end of a knife fight," she winced at the memory of the possessed Larraq stabbing her, the event that had set this whole sordid mess into motion. "I received a tissue transplant, and it seems to be functioning normally." 

"Yes, I see," the doctor agreed, then moved on to Aeryn's pelvic area. She frowned, then looked up from her scanner. "Tell that sadistic half-breed to be a little more careful next time," she snapped. "You have several fresh contusions, abrasions and bite-marks, Aeryn." She looked back down at her scanner. "You're a stronger person that I would be," she muttered. 

Aeryn frowned. "I take it that Scorpius isn't exactly popular around here," she observed. 

She moved close to Aeryn and whispered, "you're not the first of his assistants to come in here with injuries." 

"I see," Aeryn nodded knowingly. Skada then examined a small scar on Aeryn's upper right arm, the insertion point for the hormonal suppressor. It was injected into each female cadet when she reached the age of thirteen cycles, and was updated every five cycles after that, until the woman was ordered by High Command to bear a child. Then, she was artificially inseminated from a compatible donor, and reassigned to non-combat status until eight weekens after the birth. "Is it still active?" she asked the doctor. 

"You're lucky. It's just about to run out. Wait a microt, while I get a replacement." The doctor left the room, and Aeryn grabbed her scanner. She'd learned enough basic medicine to be able to read one of these things. Fortunately, her exam didn't go down to the cellular level. She was worried that the recombinant fragments of Pilot's DNA in her body would be discovered. Right now, it was the only thing that was keeping her connected to Moya, her friends, and John. 

"What are you looking at?" the doctor asked from the entrance to the room. She had a laser scalpel and the suppressor kit in her hands. 

"I want to know exactly what was done to me," Aeryn replied defensively. 

Skada nodded sympathetically. She crossed the room and set down the kit on the examination bed next to Aeryn. "Nanobots are still in the experimental stage," she explained as she swabbed Aeryn's upper arm with alcohol, then sprayed on a local anesthetic. "They were initially developed to deal with battle casualties. They can be injected into a severely injured soldier by a medic, and the nanobots will keep the person alive until they can be evacuated." Aeryn watched as the doctor made a small incision into the anesthetized area with the laser scalpel, and withdrew five small blood-stained pipettes. 

"So, how did this technology go from being medicinal to a way of controlling prisoners?" 

The doctor frowned. "The nanobots were developed by the Military Tech section," she said. Military Tech was the section that was responsible for High Command's pet projects. Aeryn recalled that Velorek had been assigned to that section. "Scorpius is apparently one of their top people," the doctor informed her as she inserted the five new pipettes into Aeryn's arm. "I think you can probably guess the rest." The doctor swabbed the blood off of the incision with alcohol. "Another advantage to nanobots is that they heal minor injuries relatively quickly," she observed as both women watched the incision mend itself in microts without prompting from the doctor. 

"How long will these nanobots remain in my body, and what happens to me when they stop functioning?" Aeryn asked her. 

"In the initial tests, the nanobots were good for about six weekens," she explained. "By then, all of the affected soldiers were well enough to recover on their own, or had died of complications not related to the experiment. However, the later research is too highly classified for _me_ to study. I was just told to inject you with them and monitor your condition." 

"Great. So, I'll find out in about six weekens," Aeryn said as she moved her arm around. 

"I'm sorry that I wasn't able to give you better information," Skada said. "You're done here. I'm sure that your escort is waiting to take you back upstairs." 

"Thank you," Aeryn said gratefully. "For your help, and the information." 

"Good luck, Aeryn," the doctor replied as she gathered up her tools and left the room. 

Aeryn removed the gown and got back into the tight leather outfit. She didn't want to go back. All she wanted to do was to escape, to make a run for the hangar, steal a Prowler, and be free of Scorpius once and for all. But that would be cowardly, as well as shirking her promise to Zhaan's Goddess. As she walked out into the waiting area, she regained her focus. 

"Aeryn?" A familiar female said from behind her. "Is it really you?" 

Aeryn turned around. Coming out of a room marked "Medical Supplies" was none other than Daya Jaad, her closest friend. "Daya?" Aeryn stammered and looked at her friend. Daya was shorter than Aeryn, with flaming, curly red hair that was barely tied back into a leather hair-wrap, wearing a casual black uniform with her jacket open, and carrying an armful of bandages. She was the field medic for the Ikerian Brigade, a member of Aeryn's squadron, and her best friend since their cadet days. 

Her friend frowned as she looked up and down at her. "So, the rumors are true. You're back, and you're Scorpius' assistant?" she said with a note of disgust. 

"It's a long story. I'm his prisoner. See that big infantryman over there? He's my guard." 

Daya looked over at Visio, who was looking very threatening. He strode over to the two women. "Scorpius said that you weren't allowed to talk to anyone," he reminded her. 

"Except staff. She's a medic," Aeryn shot back. 

"Relax, _corporal_," Daya said, taking a very official tone of voice with the enlisted man. "Officer Sun is an old friend of mine." 

"Exactly why Scorpius didn't want her to linger around here," Visio countered and grabbed Aeryn's arm - unfortunately, the same one with the incision. Aeryn winced as his beefy hands clamped over the bandaged area. "Who the frell are you, anyway?" he asked. 

Her friend raised herself up and appeared to grow about six inches. "_Lieutenant_ Daya Jaad, Pleisar Regiment, commander of the Beltanian Brigade," she snapped back. "If you haven't noticed, soldier, I outrank you. Run along home to your master. I'll take full responsibility for your prisoner," she said, then waved him off like he was an insect. 

Aeryn exchanged a look with Visio and nodded. "Go ahead, Corporal. I'll make sure that you're not punished for this." With that, he nodded slightly, turned around, and stalked out. 

"What a relief!" Daya smirked. "I thought he'd never leave. Here, take some of these, will you?" she handed Aeryn half of the armful of bandages. "I've got to restock my supplies." 

"You shouldn't have been so hard on him. He's just doing his job," Aeryn said as she followed her friend down the hall. She was conscious of more stares than ever from the other people in the hall. People were looking at her, then at Daya, then back at her with shock. "Uh, Daya," she whispered as they waited for a lift to take them to the crew quarters, "do you really think that you should be seen with me?" 

Daya cocked a tawny eyebrow and smirked. "Frell 'em!" she exclaimed. 

"You haven't changed a bit," Aeryn chuckled as they entered the lift. A technician started to walk into the lift with them. Daya glared at her, and the tech wisely decided to wait for the next one. "I take that back. You have changed. You're a lieutenant now." 

"It should have been you," Daya confessed. 

"Ancient history," Aeryn replied, a little too quickly. "Besides, it suits you. You now have a reason to boss people around." The two women grinned familiarly at each other. Aeryn was relieved that there was one person aboard her old ship that didn't think of her as a traitor. As she followed Daya out of the lift, she was conscious of more looks from people. Unlike on the upper decks, the stares were more sympathetic than hateful. These people were Pleisars, her old comrades, her equals. She had shed blood with them. By rights, they should be the most angry with her. Instead, they seemed to be the most forgiving. 

They stopped at a door with a Beltanian Brigade insignia on it. Aeryn followed her friend in and looked around. The quarters were larger than their old rooms, befitting her higher rank. She followed Daya to the corner, where her friend kept a locker with her medical supplies. "Drop 'em all here. I'll sort everything out later," Daya ordered. It was her friend's typical attitude. Her friend crossed the room to her computer console. She pulled out a bottle of raslak and two glasses. Without asking, she poured two stiff drinks and handed one glass to Aeryn. "To old friends," she toasted, and they clinked their glasses together. Aeryn took a gulp and the raslak burned her still-raw esophagus on the way down. She coughed to clear the irritation in her throat. "So, what the frell is going on?" Daya sat down on the bed and asked her. Aeryn joined her. 

"Get to the point, will you?" Aeryn shot back sarcastically and took another drink. 

"Look, Scarran-breath is going to start wondering where his pet is. We don't have a whole lot of time. So spill it, girlfriend, before he sends the blood-trackers after you." 

Aeryn briefly told her friend everything that had happened over the past two cycles, ending with her waking up in Scorpius' quarters. She carefully omitted any reference to the task given to her by Khalaan, and the spirit-world link she had with Zhaan. "And so, here I am. In order to stay alive, I have to maintain Scorpius' cooling rods, and other duties as assigned." 

Daya put the glass to her lips and downed the contents in one gulp. "Cooling rods, eh?" her friend asked. "I always wondered if that mask was just for appearances." She filled both glasses again. "I assume that _other duties as assigned_ means recreation," she began tentatively. 

Aeryn didn't blame her for not wanting to bring up the subject. She didn't want to think about it, either. She took another drink. "I'm doing what's necessary for my survival." 

"Oh, Aeryn!" Daya exclaimed sympathetically. "Are you all right?" 

"If it's a choice between sharing Scorpius' bed and having every nerve in my body set on fire again, I'll take the former," she said flatly. The other woman frowned with concern. "Don't worry. What's he going to do? Kill me?" She chuckled, but it sounded hollow. 

Her friend hesitated, then moved closer to her. "There may be a way that we can use this to our advantage," she whispered. 

"What are you talking about?" Aeryn asked, not following her. 

"You may have sensed an undercurrent of dissatisfaction with our present leadership..." 

"Yes, but that's understandable. He _is_ half Scarran." 

"It's more than that. Crais was already mentally unstable, and cracked up when his brother died. Many of us weren't happy with that situation, but we followed orders because he was our Captain. Scorpius is.... well, I don't think I need to explain to you what he is." 

"I didn't believe in true evil, the way that some cultures do. Then Crichton encountered Scorpius," Aeryn shuddered as Khalaan's words echoed in her mind. "He _is_ evil, Daya. Make no mistake about it." 

Daya took another drink, then set down her empty glass. "I know. That's why some of us are trying to get rid of him." 

Aeryn's eyes opened wide as she realized the implications of what her friend was saying. "No, Daya. I shouldn't be hearing this. I can't hear this! He'll sense it, and you'll be tortured into giving up your co-conspirators! I've seen," she broke off as an image of John pounding his fist into the mirror in the depths of his insanity came to her mind unbidden. "He's very creative when it comes to interrogation." 

"I'm already up to my neck in it! Don't worry about me. I can handle myself. We're well organized. Nobody knows who the leader is, and we each only know a few other people involved. We need you, Aeryn. You're the closest that we can get to him. You told that corporal that you would assume the risk for him when you came with me. Let me do the same for you. It'll be just like old times - I'll be your wingman." 

Aeryn's mind was whirling. On one hand, this mutiny that Daya was describing fit in perfectly with her own plans to take down Scorpius. On the other hand, she had already seen what Scorpius could do, and she had no desire to see her childhood friend tortured. But, Daya was already involved, and it would be good to have someone watching her back. "Of course I'll help you! Just let me know what you need me to do." 

"I knew that I could count on you!" Daya reached over and pulled her into an embrace. "Right now, hang tight. Keep track of his movements. Try to get as much information as possible. I'll arrange it so that we can spend time together. After all, rank does have its privileges! In the meantime, this is our signal." She made a fist and put her thumb between her index and middle fingers. "Be subtle about using it, but it will get the point across." 

"I have one request," Aeryn grasped her friend's shoulders and looked her in the eye. "When the time comes, Scorpius is _mine_. I can't tell you my reasons why. Just promise me that." 

"Frell, if I was forced to share a bed with the being that tortured my lover, I'd want the honor of killing him, too! Don't worry, Aeryn. He's all yours, but that doesn't mean that I won't watch and enjoy it!" 

"Thank you. I knew you'd understand," Aeryn replied. Daya pulled her back into an embrace, and Aeryn laid her head on her friend's shoulder and relaxed for the first time since she'd regained consciousness aboard the command carrier. She felt like a heavy burden had been taken off of her shoulders, or at least lessened. 

*** 

Zhaan considered herself lucky. None of her crewmates had snuck off in the night to attempt a foolish attack on Scorpius' command carrier. For now, Chiana seemed to have D'Argo and Jothee on a short leash. John, once he had gotten over his initial shock, was much more likely to listen to reason than the Luxan and his son. She had attempted to contact Aeryn through their spirit-link during the night, but she hadn't answered. This method of communication was unreliable, since it depended on both women being in an altered state of consciousness at the same time. She was concerned, but realized that Aeryn may be on a different schedule. 

She found herself wishing more and more that Stark would return. After rescuing John, he'd gone off by himself to pray for the Banniks that Scorpius had killed, to put their spirits at rest. She had offered to help him, but he explained that this was something that he had to do himself. He seemed to be disappointed by her lack of response on his proposal, but he understood. On the night they'd met, when he'd been rescued from the Gammak base, she'd shared with him the fact that the Goddess had charged her to watch over Crichton. Stark, a holy man himself, had felt the same sense of uneasy destiny surrounding Crichton. Of all of them, he empathized with the burden that she carried. 

"If you're not going to eat that, may I have your share?" Rygel pointed to her plate with his free hand, while stuffing a food cube into his mouth with the other. 

She gave him a dirty look, but shoved the plate toward him. "Go ahead, Rygel. I have no appetite." His face reflected a flicker of concern, then he grumbled and proceeded to shove the food cube into his mouth with his other hand. 

"Rygel, Zhaan," Pilot announced as his face came on-screen, "a ship is approaching." 

"Is it Stark's transport pod?" she inquired hopefully. 

"No, it's Talyn! He's back, and he says that he has found more energy for Moya." 

"Thank the Goddess! That's the first good news we've had in a weeken!" 

"Uh, Zhaan," Rygel tugged at the sleeve of her robe, "We'd better make sure that Talyn doesn't hear about Aeryn until he's prepared for it. Crais, too. No telling what that madman, or that hyperactive little ship will want to do." 

"Good idea, Rygel," she said. The Hynerian smiled smugly at the complement. "Pilot, please tell Moya not to pass along our news about Aeryn to Talyn." 

Pilot nodded knowingly. "She understands, Zhaan, although she feels that he should be told at some point." 

"I know. I do not want him and Crais to run off on a fool's errand while Moya needs Talyn's help to recover. In the meantime, notify the others of Talyn's arrival." 

Once Talyn had docked with Moya, the umbilical between the two Leviathans was engaged. Talyn happily started pumping energy into his mother. Crais then came aboard at Zhaan's request. All of Moya's crew was gathered in Command when Crais arrived. He looked exhausted. His normally impeccable hair and uniform were disheveled. Although he refused to admit it, he was grieving for Aeryn as much as the rest of them were. Or, at least his emotions were amplified by his link to Talyn. 

Crais looked at them all looking at him - except for Crichton, who was staring intently at the tabletop. "What did you call me up here?" he demanded. 

The group exchanged glances, then Zhaan spoke up. "Captain Crais, you may want to disable your link for a few microts," she suggested. 

He looked at her skeptically. "Why? I have no secrets from Talyn." 

"Just do it, Crais," D'Argo snapped. "Trust us, for a change. We have a good reason." 

"Very well." He reached behind himself and disengaged his neural link. He set it down on the table deliberately. "Now, what did you have to tell me?" 

"Thank you. Pilot?" Zhaan asked. "Replay the message." 

"As you wish," Pilot answered. Then, Scorpius' last message appeared on the screen. Zhaan watched Crais instead of the replay. His face darkened considerably when he saw Aeryn on screen, then he flashed to barely-controlled rage when she was tortured. 

"He goes too far!" he shouted and slammed his fist down on the table. "This is not how Peacekeeper officers treat each other!" 

John snarled something unintelligible at Crais, then shook his head and stammered, "not... Peace...keeper." Crais did a double-take at the sound of Crichton's voice. 

"What he's trying to say is," Rygel translated, "that you declared her irreversibly contaminated. She's not an officer anymore. Scorpius can do what he wants to her. And he has." 

Crais swallowed hard, absorbing what Rygel had said. "I know. It is another deed which I have to answer for." Zhaan saw the guilt and pain cloud his face. 

"There are some other facts that you need to know," Zhaan continued, addressing Crais. "I cannot explain it entirely, but suffice it to say that I have a link with Aeryn on what we refer to as the Spirit World. I do not expect you to understand this, but trust me that it is real. Through this link, Aeryn has assured me that she is unharmed." 

"I'm assuming that she's been injected with nanobots. It's the only explanation for what I just saw," Crais speculated. 

"That's right," D'Argo added. "Now you know why we wanted to keep this from Talyn." 

"He will have to be told. He cares very deeply for Officer Sun, as do I." Zhaan heard a snort of derision from John's end of the table. She turned and stared at the Human. 

"Let Moya break it to him," Chiana suggested. Crais nodded his agreement, and engaged his neural link. 

"Pilot? Please tell Moya that she can tell Talyn about Aeryn now," Zhaan ordered. 

Within a few microts, the gunship's shock and anger were reflected in Crais' face. "I know, Talyn," he reassured his young charge. "We will go after her, I promise you. We need a plan first." The others nodded their agreement. "He is, as you can imagine, extremely upset." 

"There's more," Rygel added. "The command carrier pulled out about twelve arns ago. We have a good idea what Scorpius is going to do with the wormhole technology that he ripped from Crichton's mind. He's going to the Scarran homeworld to start a war." 

Crais thought for a moment. "Of course! The Scarrans are mortal enemies of Sebaceans. There has been tension between our two civilizations for hundreds of cycles. The Scarran home system is extremely well protected. He's using the wormhole technology for a surprise attack. It's a risky, but admirable, strategy." 

"Admire his strategic thinking later," D'Argo snapped. "If he starts a war, the Neutral Sebacean colonies are sitting directly in the way." 

"Katralla. Daughter." John stammered with fear. Zhaan understood. He was concerned about Princess Katralla, who carried his unborn child and with it, her people's safety. 

"Your daughter? I must have missed something!" Crais smirked. 

Zhaan deflected Crais' interest. "Either way, if Scorpius attacks the Scarrans, he will drag the Peacekeepers into a war that they cannot sustain." 

"Unless that's exactly what he wants," Rygel chimed in. "It would be to his advantage to sit back and have the Scarrans and the Peacekeepers take each other out. After which, he steps into the power vacuum." 

"A scheme worthy of a former Dominar," Crais nodded. 

"It takes a despot to know one," Rygel replied, and waved Durka's head at Crais, to remind him of the fact that he'd gotten the better of one Peacekeeper. 

"So, what do you want from me and Talyn?" Crais asked. He batted Durka's head away. 

"We need to beat Scorpius to the Scarran homeworld," D'Argo explained. "Right now, he's got the element of surprise. We've got to warn them that he's coming. We go in, we get Aeryn, and we get out." 

"Talyn and I have been conducting a little experiment," Crais informed them. "Talyn now has the capability to starburst to a specific point in space, without losing his navigational data. He wants me to offer his services in the rescue of Aeryn Sun." 

"Crais, I take back all of the nasty things I said about you," Rygel said appreciatively. "Well, almost all of them." 

John gave D'Argo a thumbs-up sign. Then, he turned and offered Crais his hand. "Thank... you," he croaked. The captain looked perplexed, and mirrored Crichton's action. John reached over, took Crais's hand, and shook it. He released Crais, then sat back down. 

"Then it's settled," Crais agreed. "D'Argo, Crichton, Zhaan, and I will take Talyn to the Scarran homeworld." 

"The Scarrans won't listen to a Peacekeeper, even a renegade one," D'Argo said. 

"That is why you and Zhaan are coming along," Crais replied. 

"You'll need an _experienced_ negotiator," Rygel offered. 

"No, Sparky," John shook his head and made a chopping motion with his right hand. 

Zhaan stepped in. "You, Chiana, and Jothee take Moya and head to the Neutral Colonies. Warn the Empress. Tell her to put their defense forces onto high alert, in case our plan doesn't work. Besides, if it doesn't work, you'll be safer there." 

Jothee stood up quickly. "I'm going with you, Father!" 

D'Argo shook his head. "I'm sorry, son. I need you to look out for Chiana for me." 

"Frell you!" Chiana spat. "I can take care of myself! Always have!" 

"Chiana," Pilot interrupted from the clamshell, "Moya and I need you and Jothee to protect us until she's healthy again." 

"Besides, I will require assistance once we get to the Neutral Colonies," Rygel added. 

Zhaan's eyes met D'Argo's over Rygel's head. She knew that he wanted to protect Chiana, but she didn't think that leaving her alone with Jothee would be wise. 

"Fine," Chiana assented. "I'll do it for Moya." 

"Uh... so will I," Jothee agreed too. "For Moya." 

Crais wrapped everything up. "We'll leave in two arns. Pa'u Zhaan, see if you can get in touch with Aeryn again, and tell her..." his voice broke, and tears welled up in his eyes, even though he made an effort to hide them. "Tell her that we're coming for her." 

*** 

"Where have you been?" Scorpius snarled as Aeryn walked through the door to his quarters. He reached out and grabbed the collar of her uniform and pulled her in close. "You've been drinking, too!" 

"I was visiting with an old friend," she tried to explain. "Surprisingly enough, not everyone here wants to kill me." 

"You were told not to talk to anyone, and to return immediately!" 

"Well, maybe if you'd give me a comm badge, I could have asked for permission!" 

He snarled again and shoved her across the room. The Scarran side of him was definitely coming out. "You're forgetting your position here! You live solely at my discretion. Now, I require cooling rod maintenance before my briefing to the senior officers." 

"As you wish," she replied with thinly-veiled hostility, and crossed the room to the box containing the supply of cooling rods. She wished that she had some of that explosive paste that they'd tried to kill him with. It would make her life, and her mission, so much easier. As it was, he was burning through the rods very quickly. She popped Scorpius' earpiece and exchanged the blue rod for the degraded red one, then sealed him back up. 

"Ah, very good, my dear. Now, send in Lieutenant Braca and the other senior officers." 

Aeryn nodded, then crossed to the door. Braca was waiting for her. "Come in," she greeted them, and stepped aside. He came in, followed by five other senior officers. She recognized the Chief Engineer, Chief Weapons Officer, Operations, and Medical. As the sixth officer entered the room, Aeryn gasped with recognition. Commander Braydon Tal, former commanding officer of the Pleisar Regiment, was now in charge of all deployed forces. Tal was an older man, approximately sixty cycles, with close-cropped wavy gray hair, a scar across his right cheek from an old battle, and steel-blue eyes that were almost as expressive as Crichton's. He was an old soldier who was devoted to his pilots. Aeryn had been especially close to him when she was under his command. His eyes widened as he recognized her, but his mask of professional detachment was firmly in place. As the officers sat around the table with Scorpius, she crossed the room to stand behind her captor. Tal had managed to take the seat directly opposite of Scorpius, so that he would be able to see her without making an obvious effort. Aeryn very casually made a fist with her left hand and slipped her thumb between the index and middle finger, like Daya had shown her. Tal shot her a warning look, then his eyes focused on Braca, who was seated at Scorpius' right. 

"I suppose that you're wondering what this briefing is about," Scorpius began. "I have recently acquired the knowledge to create a wormhole, which, if properly controlled, will be able to carry this ship across a vast distance in a brief period of time. This data has been transmitted to High Command Military Tech via a secure channel. I have received orders to launch a pre-emptive strike on the Scarran home system. We are on our way to a suitable location for creating a wormhole as we speak." 

The officers stared around the table at each other in disbelief. "Begging your pardon, sir," Tal began, "Is this even possible? And, even if it is, have the risks been assessed?" 

Scorpius shifted in his chair and stared at Tal. "I can assure you that it is. I believe you recognize the former Officer Aeryn Sun behind me. She has apparently witnessed this phenomenon first-hand." 

Aeryn shifted uncomfortably as six sets of eyes focused on her. She met her former commander's eyes and said truthfully, "Sir, I have witnessed the deliberate creation of a wormhole, but that is all. The attempt was aborted before we could go through." 

"And you're going to undertake this on the word of a traitor, and technology that you forcibly extracted from the mind of a sworn enemy of the Peacekeepers?" the Operations officer, a tall, dark-haired woman, scoffed. Aeryn recalled her name was Thuraya. "Have you finally gone insane, Scorpius?" 

Scorpius glared at her, and she broke eye contact. "No, Lieutenant. I can assure you that I am quite sane. This is not a request for opinions, this is a direct order. Lieutenant Thuraya, you will brief your operations staff on the wormhole technology immediately. Commander Tal, you will issue a mission brief to your deployable forces upon departure. Other departments, make preparations to go into battle as soon as we come out of the wormhole. We go in, we hit them hard, and we get out. Any _more_ questions?" Scorpius asked, but Aeryn didn't expect anyone to risk asking. "Very well, then. You are dismissed." 

The officers stood as one, and walked out silently. Aeryn looked over at Tal, who seemed to be very disturbed by this turn of events. Part of the reason that he was so popular with the people under his command was that he refused to do anything that would unnecessarily risk their lives. He nodded encouragement to her, then turned to walk out. When he got to the door, he did a double-take in surprise. "Scorpius," he said as he turned, "One of my unit commanders, a Lieutenant Daya Jaad, wishes to speak with you." 

Aeryn panicked. What the frell was Daya doing here? "Interesting," Scorpius purred. "Send her in, Commander. And stay yourself." Tal nodded. 

Daya stepped into the room. She had changed into her full-dress uniform and looked every bit like a Brigade Commander. "Second Lieutenant Daya Jaad, Commander of the Beltanian Brigade, Pleisar Regiment, sir," she introduced herself and saluted smartly. 

Scorpius looked her over skeptically. "Yes, Lieutenant? What do you want?" 

"Sir, I wish to apologize for my actions earlier today. I caused Officer Sun to deliberately disobey your order. I also wish to petition a request on behalf of Officer Sun," Daya explained. Aeryn's eyes widened, and she waved to Daya to stop. Her friend ignored her. "I wish to ask that Officer Sun be placed under my guard for two arns daily, to be conducted in the exercise facility on deck nine." 

"I see," Scorpius thought to himself. "Lieutenant Jaad, I have heard several positive reports about your performance from Commander Tal. He says that you are an exemplary officer, and may be eligible for higher rank." 

Daya looked at Tal with surprise. "Thank you, sir!" she exclaimed. 

"However, " Scorpius continued, "command is not always a pleasant duty. Sometimes, it can be difficult. Tell me, Lieutenant. When a prisoner disobeys orders, what must be done with that prisoner?" He turned around and glared at Aeryn. Tal shot a warning look at Daya. 

Daya glanced uncomfortably at Aeryn, then looked at the floor. "They must be punished, sir. According to regulations." Aeryn steeled herself for what she knew was coming. 

"Then, you see my point," Scorpius smiled, then touched the box on his side. Immediately, Aeryn's nervous system was set on fire. She gasped, then fell to her knees in pain. Daya's eyes got wide, but she stood still. So did Tal. Another movement from Scorpius, and Aeryn felt as if her intestines were exploding. She doubled over, clutching her stomach._ Please, do nothing, say nothing, _she thought. The pain was increasing dramatically. Through a red-clouded haze, she saw her friend and mentor watching her torture without a sound. Then, another bolt of fire shot up her spine and exploded in her brain. Her consciousness began to fade as she heard screaming in her head. She prayed that it was only herself, and not Daya. 

"I am here, daughter," Khalaan's gentle voice cut through the pain-soaked haze in her mind. Aeryn had an image of the Goddess embracing her body, and the agony subsided. She felt like she was floating above the room. She saw her unconscious body lying on the floor in a fetal position, Tal standing stoically, and Daya barely containing her rage. 

"Well done, Lieutenant Jaad. You have a bright future ahead of you," Scorpius said with relish. "You are dismissed, both of you." Daya and Tal both turned to leave. "Oh, Lieutenant?" Scorpius added. "Your request has been granted. I don't think that she will disobey me again." 

"Thank you, sir," Daya managed to choke out. She left the room quickly, followed by Tal. Aeryn's spirit followed her friend. Daya angrily shoved aside a junior officer who was in her way, and stormed into the lift. Aeryn wanted to reach out to her friend, to let her know that she'd done the right thing. But Khalaan was leading her away, and she left her friend to deal with things as best she could. 

Aeryn saw a bright light flash, and she found herself back in the grove. Zhaan was waiting for her. Unlike before, Zhaan reached out and embraced her before she could even make a move. "Aeryn! You are unharmed. Thank the Goddess!" Zhaan exclaimed. 

"You're welcome," Khalaan smiled, then faded into the background. 

"I was worried when I couldn't contact you during the sleep cycle," the Delvian said. 

Aeryn pulled back and looked away. "I was... occupied," she whispered. 

Zhaan reached out and touched Aeryn's shoulder. "Oh, no, Aeryn! He hasn't...?" 

"I'm doing what I have to do to survive. And yes, it involves recreation." She looked up and met Zhaan's blue-on-blue eyes. "Please, don't tell John anything. He couldn't bear it." 

Zhaan sighed painfully. "I will try." She changed the subject. "Talyn and Crais have returned with more fuel for Moya. She's doing much better." 

Aeryn smiled. "That's a relief. I know what Scorpius's plans are, and it's not good news." 

"Yes, he's using the wormhole technology to attack the Scarran system. John figured it out. I guess there's some advantage to his link to Scorpius," Zhaan said. Aeryn frowned as the memories flashed into her mind. "We're going to try to warn the Scarrans, then come for you. Pilot, Chiana, Jothee, and Rygel are going to the Neutral Colonies to put them on alert." 

"That _has_ to be one of John's plans," she snapped. "Nobody else would be that naive. You'll never make it to the Scarran homeworld in time." 

"Actually, it was Crais' plan. He says that Talyn can do a navigated starburst." 

Aeryn felt a flush of pride for the little gunship. "That's amazing!" She felt a pull back to her physical body. "I don't have much time before I regain consciousness. You need to know that there's a conspiracy aboard the carrier to overthrow Scorpius. I'm now working with them. At least one senior officer is involved, possibly two. Tell Crais that he needs to contact Commander Tal privately. He'll know who I mean." 

"Commander Tal," Zhaan repeated, committing the name to memory. "I will tell him. And Aeryn," she placed both of her hands on Aeryn's shoulders. "Please be careful." 

"You, too, Zhaan. Tell John that I love him. Take care of him for me," she said as she felt her spirit being pulled back into her body. 

*** 

Zhaan watched Aeryn go with a feeling of sadness and concern. She wasn't worried that Aeryn would be killed - she trusted her Goddess enough to know that She would prevent that at all costs. It was that one misstep would cause the Uncharted Territories to be plunged into a war of attrition that had no possible good outcome. She counted backwards from ten, and her consciousness returned to normal. Zhaan was in her quarters again. The incense had burned to a small, glowing ember. She snuffed the candle, and let the incense take care of itself. As she turned, she saw John leaning against the doorway, waiting for news. He was so fragile, so close to the breaking point, that she didn't want to say anything to upset him. Normally, he was the rock that she depended on, the one that made her smile, that gave her strength when she had none. Khalaan had charged her to be his guardian, but the truth was that he was often hers. 

"Aeryn sends her love," Zhaan said quietly. John spun around and looked at her hopefully. His eyes expressed what his words could not. Aeryn's request echoed in her mind. "Do not worry. She is a survivor," Zhaan reassured him. She took his arm and guided him towards Command. "John, I need to know something before we leave Moya. Are you still under the control of Scorpius? Do you still hear his voice in your head?" 

He hesitated, thinking about it for a moment, then nodded his head. "Back here," he stammered, then pointed at the back of his skull, where the chip had been located, then waved his hand in a gesture that she took to mean "sometimes". 

"So, you're not entirely clear? John, if you'd be more comfortable going with Moya to the Colonies, I'm sure that they have excellent physicians there that could help you." 

He shook his head violently. "Need... to... go," he forced out. 

"I don't think that Crais or D'Argo will want to go into battle with someone who is controlled by their enemy," she observed tactfully. 

His eyes grew dark, and he fingered his gun. "Going. Owe Aeryn." That settled it. 

The two of them entered the docking bay. Crais and D'Argo were already there, loading practically every weapon aboard into Talyn's small cargo hold. A third person stepped out of the umbilical, and Zhaan gave a cry of delighted surprise. "Stark! When did you get back?" 

He rushed over to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. "About half an arn ago. Ka D'Argo told me about your plan. I'm coming with you." 

She looked at him with concern. "Are you sure? I'd rather you stay with Moya." 

He looked into her eyes with his one. "I have to go with you. While in meditation, something was revealed to me. I'll tell you about it on the way." He looked away from her, and noticed John standing back. "John! I'm very relieved to see you up and about!" Stark released her and embraced John in a massive hug. "D'Argo says that you're able to talk, too." 

"Little," John confessed, and gave the same "sometimes" hand motion. 

They were interrupted by the sound of Chiana and Jothee entering the docking bay, followed by Rygel. The teenagers were arguing about something, probably about whether they should go along or not. Zhaan beckoned Rygel to the side to speak in private. 

"Have you noticed something about the two of them?" she asked in a low voice. 

"A blind cave-worm could see that they're attracted to each other," Rygel agreed. 

At least he wasn't totally clueless. "I do not want D'Argo to get hurt," she said. "Do what you can to keep those two separated and out of trouble." 

"Teenagers," Rygel muttered. "Now I know why I was never involved in the rearing of my offspring." She bent over and kissed Rygel's forehead in gratitude. 

"I'm telling you," Chiana shouted loudly, interrupting everyone else, "that I am coming with you. If Mask-boy there can come, why can't I? I've been in more battles than he has!" 

"Chiana," D'Argo growled a warning. "You and Jothee are all I have. Besides, Moya needs you to protect her." 

"From what? Scorpius is going to be where you are! And what about Jothee?" 

"Look," he put his hands on her slim shoulders, "I've got a job to do. And where I'm going, you can't follow. What I've got to do, you can't be any part of. Chiana, I'm not good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little beings don't amount to a hill of nodules in this crazy universe. Some day, you'll understand that." He kissed her on the forehead to say goodbye. 

John pulled her into an embrace. "Here's... looking... at... you..., kid," he stammered. 

"You, too," she whispered, then released him to hug Zhaan. "Bring her back safe." 

"I will," Zhaan promised. "And you, child, stay out of trouble." 

Chiana cocked a grin at her. "You're no fun," she smiled. Zhaan released her, then followed John through the umbilical into Talyn's small docking bay. D'Argo turned once to wave goodbye to his son and his lover, then he closed the airlock behind them. They joined Stark, John and Crais in the Command section. 

"Umbilical disengaged," Crais reported. "Pilot, we're heading out. We will signal you when we're successful. If not, well, I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough." 

"Moya and I want to wish you all good luck. Tell Aeryn that I look forward to seeing her soon," Pilot answered as Moya's rear docking bay doors closed behind them. 

"We will," Zhaan reassured him. "Goddess, protect us all."   


* * *

  
[][1]

   [1]: ../../../necess4.htm



	3. Part 3: Focal Point

#  By Any Means Necessary

##  Part Three - Focal Point

  
**The next solar day:**

No one was in the room when Aeryn woke up. Scorpius had left her some breakfast. He had been occupied all night with decrypting his chip. Fortunately, that meant that he had left her alone overnight. She didn't think that she could handle any more of his sadistic recreation. It was bad enough that he had woken her up several times to change his rods and to interrogate her about the time that she and John had formed a wormhole. She couldn't tell him much. John was the one that had done the calculations - she was just flying the module. 

Since the room was empty, she allowed herself the momentary luxury of remembrance. She wrapped her arms around herself, remembering John's arms around her, the soft touch of his lips, the heat of his body against hers, his unique scent of perspiration mixed with leather. When she was learning to fly in combat situations, the instructor had taught her to always keep her eyes on one specific focal point in space and she'd never lose her bearings. For the last two cycles, John Crichton had been the equivalent of that focal point in her life, and she had been his. Now, without her point of reference, she felt lost, alone, and spinning out of control. _Remember what you're doing this for_, she thought to herself. _Don't lose your focal point_. 

Self-indulgence was getting her nowhere. Aeryn stood up, pulled on the hated leather suit, and quickly ate the breakfast that was left. She walked out onto the Command deck and observed the frenetic activity from a good vantage point. Scorpius, Braca, and Lieutenant Thuraya were there, along with several techs that she didn't recognize. All of them seemed to be running about like a bunch of overgrown DRDs. The image brought on a smile, which she quickly suppressed. On the screen, she saw a drone exploding in the middle of a wormhole. Scorpius growled angrily. As he turned, he caught sight of her in the alcove. "So nice of you to join us, my sweet," he smiled and strode over to her. He caressed her cheek and kissed her on the lips. Aeryn didn't respond. He looked disappointed. "As you can see, we're testing the wormhole technology. I have no doubts that it will be successful, but someone," he glared at Thuraya at her position at Ops, "insisted that we run some tests before we do this." 

"A wise decision," Aeryn smiled sympathetically at the tall woman. She thought she caught a quick flash of the signal from Thuraya. "Will you have need of me for the next two arns? I would like _permission_ to exercise with Lieutenant Jaad." 

Scorpius waved her away. "Go ahead. I will contact her if I need your assistance." 

"Thank you, sir," she barely managed to choke out. She ducked back into the room, contacted Daya, and headed out the door. Corporal Visio, her personal escort, was waiting for her. "Good morning, Corporal," she said cheerfully as he accompanied her to the lift. He didn't say a word. As they reached the main decks, Aeryn made sure to keep her right hand in the signal position. Stares still followed her down the hall, but she also saw a lot more hand signals than she had expected. She was beginning to think that this little conspiracy might just work. 

They reached the exercise facility, and she found Daya waiting for her in the locker room. "So," her friend remarked tartly as she tossed an extra pair of leggings at her, "I guess your escort isn't under orders to come into the women's showers." 

"Too bad. Maybe you could give him an education," Aeryn grinned back. 

"You're looking better today," Daya observed. "What's the good news?" 

"He was busy with his wormhole experiment all night. It's apparently not going well." 

"Good! I've got a bunch of raw recruits and the last few survivors from our brigade. I don't want to take them into battle against the Scarrans. Frell, they're barely off of simulators!" 

"There's more news," Aeryn confessed as they walked out to the mat. "I can't explain it, but I've been in contact with my shipmates aboard Moya. Don't ask me how, you won't understand," she said in response to her friend's puzzled look. "They're going to meet us at the Scarran homeworld. Crais is with them." 

Daya's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I'll let the Old Man know," she nodded. She set into position, and Aeryn followed suit. At an unspoken signal, they started sparring with each other. They quickly settled into their old patterns of attack and counter-attack. Aeryn got the better of Daya a few times with moves that she'd learned over the past two cycles. It felt good to be sparring with a fellow Peacekeeper. Lately, her practice sessions with John were ending up with very different results. Granted, there was more than one use for an exercise mat, but it wasn't keeping either of their reflexes sharp. Well, except for one particular male reflex. 

Aeryn suddenly found herself hitting the mat hard. She looked up to see Daya smirking at her. "He must be a pretty good frell to distract you like that!" she laughed. 

"Always the foul-mouthed tralk," she shot back as she stood back up. "Look, we've got to find a way of getting Crichton and the others on board." 

Daya grinned, then aimed a pakthar jab at her. Aeryn ducked it expertly. "Leave that to me. I've got an idea..." the redhead said. 

*** 

Zhaan's neck snapped as Talyn came out of starburst abruptly. Fortunately, she was sitting against the bulkhead with Stark, rather than helping Crais and D'Argo. John was sleeping fitfully, his head in her lap. After the trauma of Aeryn's death and what happened after that, Zhaan couldn't blame him for not wanting to sleep. However, exhaustion finally took him, and he had slept through the entire bone-jarring starburst. As they slowed to sub-light, John stirred briefly. She stroked his hair. Stark placed his hand on John's head to soothe his troubled mind. She felt as if John were a child, and she and Stark were his parents. They were trying to keep the imaginary monsters from getting to him. Only this monster was real, and it had already won. 

"Check the navigational readouts," Crais ordered D'Argo. 

The Luxan looked at a scope next to him. "The bad news is that we're not in the Scarran system. The good news is that we're within a few parsecs of it. We should be able to reach the system in an arn if we travel at maximum speed." 

"Very good, Talyn," Crais encouraged the ship. Lights blinked in response. "I know, it's not perfect. But remember, you've never been here before, and this is the longest that you've ever starburst. You've done very well. Set a course for the following vectors at hetch seven." 

Zhaan continued to be impressed with the change in Crais since his link with Talyn. She'd really only seen Crais a few times while she was a prisoner aboard Moya. According to Aeryn, he was considered an obsessive slave-driver even back then. The Goddess truly did work in mysterious ways. "You've done a good job with Talyn," she remarked. 

"Thank you, Pa'u Zhaan. It has been quite an experience," Crais replied. "May I speak with you in private?" 

She looked down at the sleeping Human in her lap, then at Stark. He nodded, and traded places with her while trying to disturb John as little as possible. Once John was laying in Stark's lap, she stood and followed Crais into the small room that served as his quarters. It was, like everything else, sparse and impeccably tidy in a military fashion. He closed the door behind them. Zhaan turned to face him. "I wanted to tell you something privately before we got to the Scarran homeworld. It's about Aeryn." 

Zhaan frowned. "I know that you care for her a great deal." 

"Before her death, Talyn wanted her to join us. I know that she would not have left Moya willingly. However, I did want to let her know that I had some information that she might have been interested in." He held up a data chip. "If, for some reason, I can't give her this, please let her know that it's here. It's very important that she learn this information." 

"Crais," Zhaan said delicately. The poor man's emotions were raw enough, without having to tell him things that she'd rather not say. "I will do as you ask. However, I think that she should hear it from you personally. Whatever she feels, I am not sure if it is for you, for Talyn, or for both of you." 

"I won't stand in Crichton's way, if that's what you're trying to say. I won't lie to you. Yes, I have entertained the thought of a relationship with Aeryn. However, I know now that it is impossible. I will have to be content with a different type of relationship." 

"There is something else that I think you should know," she said. "John is not entirely clear of Scorpius' control. There was no time to warn you earlier. He insisted on coming along anyway. Please, be very careful." 

"Thank you for your warning. However, it changes nothing. In a way, I feel responsible for what has happened to Crichton. Perhaps this is an opportunity to atone for that mistake." 

She reached over and grasped his forearm. "Goddess knows I never thought that I would say this, but you are a good man, Captain. We are lucky to have you on our side." 

"Thank you, Pa'u Zhaan. Coming from you, that is the highest complement that I could ever hear." To her surprise, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. 

*** 

The command crew and techs were all smiles when Aeryn returned to the command deck. To her surprise, Commander Tal had joined the group. "Well, my dear, we've done it," Scorpius greeted her, "We've finally modified the wormhole technology." 

"I'm so glad," she whispered unexcitedly. 

"You don't seem happy about this turn of events." 

She looked at Scorpius and the assembled crew. "I've fought a Scarran. The only reason I got away alive was because he was stopped. I wonder how many of you can say the same?" 

"Being part of a small crew of malcontents has made you soft, Sun," Braca shot back. "You have to start looking at the big picture." 

She laughed in Braca's face. "Soft? I guess that's what you would call thinking before risking lives on a dangerous venture." 

Scorpius seized her shoulders, and shoved her into the bulkhead. "Tell me, Aeryn Sun. Do you fear me?" he snarled, his face close enough that she could see the red veins in his eyes. 

She looked him right in the eyes. "I fear what you could do to those I care about," she answered as she clouded her thoughts by visualizing flying her Prowler. "But I've survived things that would make even you beg for mercy. I'm not afraid of anything that you could do to me." 

He grabbed her hair, pulled her head back and moved in even closer. She could smell his foul breath. "You will be afraid," he whispered. "Oh, but you will." 

"Sir," a male voice said from the command deck. Scorpius released her and snarled at the speaker. It was Commander Tal. Her mentor stood his ground. "Now that we have successfully sent an unmanned vehicle through the wormhole, I suggest sending a larger, manned craft." 

"An excellent idea, Commander," he agreed. "A manned craft could also send back intelligence on their defensive positions. A Prowler would be the best choice." He looked briefly at Aeryn, then back to Tal. A sneer crept onto his face. "We will need your best pilot to fly it, of course. Perhaps that young Lieutenant Jaad?" 

Tal stiffened, and exchanged a warning look with Aeryn. "I will inform her," he said. 

"May I make a suggestion?" she jumped in. Scorpius stared daggers at her, but nodded. "There is a huge difference between a Prowler and a Command Carrier. A Prowler is built to handle higher g-forces. It has a lower drag coefficient. You'll want to send a larger ship through to make a better comparison. A Marauder might be more suitable." 

"The prisoner does have a point," Thuraya agreed, after making some quick calculations in her head. "Send a Marauder." 

"A Marauder requires a two pilots," Tal stated. "I formally request permission to take it through the wormhole. Lieutenant Jaad will be my co-pilot." 

Scorpius frowned. "I'll need your experience with the deployable forces, Commander." 

"No. I'm your best pilot. You need my experience on that Marauder. I'll turn command over to another senior officer," he replied. 

"Do it," Scorpius agreed. 

"Sir!" Aeryn spoke up again. "You'll need someone to talk you through the wormhole. I've been closer to one than anyone here. I'll provide command support from here." 

It was Braca's turn to laugh. "_You_? A traitor? Sir, the only place this tralk belongs is on the other end of a leash!" 

"Yes, but enough about your sexual fantasies, Braca," Tal shot back. Braca reddened and glared at Tal. "Aeryn Sun is a Pleisar. She's served under my command. _I_ trust her. That's all I need to know." Aeryn smiled at her former commander's declaration of confidence. 

"Fine. Commander, you're dismissed," Scorpius nodded. Tal saluted, then walked towards the lift. As he walked past, Aeryn could have sworn that he winked at her. 

The bridge crew waited impatiently for Tal to bring the Marauder on-line. The comms officer stood aside and let her take his position. She placed the headset over her hair. "Control, this is Marauder X-37. Are you reading me?" Tal's voice came over the commlink. 

"We read you, Marauder," Aeryn confirmed. "Docking bay lists you as cleared for launch. You may launch at your discretion." 

"Initiating launch sequence," Daya added as she went through her pre-flight routine. 

"Launching," Tal said as the Marauder suddenly appeared on the tracking network screen in front of Aeryn. 

The screen monitoring the star's corona suddenly flashed a bright blue. "We have an impending flare event in thirty microts," Thuraya announced. 

"Marauder, did you copy that?" Aeryn asked. 

"We heard it," Daya confirmed. 

"Begin your descent into the planet's gravitational field," Aeryn advised. 

The Marauder nudged down into the upper atmosphere. "Fifteen microts to flare." 

"Firing booster engines in five... four... three.. two... one... mark," Tal counted off. The Marauder's engines left a bright white plume behind it as it accelerated. 

"Impact of flare in five microts.... three microts...two... one..." The solar flare impacted on a perpendicular angle to the Marauder, matching speed and rate of descent perfectly. The telemetry from the Marauder's systems was causing every light to flash on the console in front of Aeryn. The telltale blue tunnel began to form along the flare's trajectory. "Wormhole event sighted, Commander," she said over the audible gasps from the technicians behind her. "I hope you're both strapped in tight." 

"_Frelling dren_!" she heard Daya curse as the Marauder entered the wormhole. 

"Maintaining course and attitude," Tal's steady voice provided a counter to her friend's panic. "I'm barely able to control it," he informed them. 

"Hold it steady, Commander," Aeryn encouraged. "Telemetry indicates that you're almost through." 

"How the hezmana are we supposed to do that?" Daya exclaimed. Their comms were starting to break up. If it had been any other pilots, Aeryn would have been worried. 

"Approaching event horizon," Tal called out. "Once clear, we'll go to radio silence. See you on the other side." 

"Good luck," Aeryn confirmed. "Event horizon in five microts... four... three...two... one." 

Just before they reached the event horizon, the Marauder fired off a burst transmission of encrypted telemetry. Aeryn read through it quickly. "They made it, sir," she looked up at Scorpius. "They're in once piece, and approximately ten parsecs from the Scarran system." 

"There was never any doubt," he smiled, then turned to Braca. "Lieutenant, prepare all ship's systems for departure in one arn. I want everything secured that can be. If the Marauder's telemetry is any indication, we're in for a wild ride." 

_You have no idea_, Aeryn smiled secretly. _And if you think that's bad, just wait_. 

*** 

"And I am telling you," D'Argo growled at the Scarran Defense Minister, who was currently filling Talyn's screen, "that we are not a Peacekeeper vessel!" 

"Your vessel has the markings of a Peacekeeper gunship, although our intelligence has failed to inform us of this new class of gunship. You also have a Peacekeeper captain, and another of undetermined rank aboard. And you expect us to believe that you are a privateer?" 

"Would a Luxan General and a Delvian Pa'u be aboard a Peacekeeper gunship?" D'Argo attempted to reason with the lizard-like being. 

"You're not a gener..._OW!_" Crais said, then shut up when Crichton kicked him. 

"You do have a point, General D'Argo," the Scarran thought about it. "We have spotted several unmanned probes that appeared shortly after some kind of astronomical phenomenon." 

"That's your proof, Minister," D'Argo said. 

"Worm... hole," Crichton stammered and pointed at the screen. 

"Hold on a microt!" Crais interrupted. "The anomaly is happening again." They all watched as a blue flash filled Talyn's screen, and a Marauder suddenly appeared and slowed. 

"Frell!" D'Argo cursed. 

"It's firing a burst transmission back through the wormhole," Crais said. "The wormhole's closing. Talyn, arm weapons." 

"Arming defensive grid," the Scarran minister replied. 

"Wait," Crais held up a hand. "Belay that order, Talyn! Do not fire! The Marauder is... _hailing us?_" He double-checked the comms unit, just to be sure. 

"Minister, stand down!" D'Argo ordered. "Let us deal with this." 

"As a show of good faith," Zhaan prompted. The Scarran shut down the grid. 

"The Marauder is using a high-level encryption code," Crais said as he put it on the screen. "This is Captain Bialar Crais to unknown Marauder. Please state your business here." 

The image of two Peacekeeper pilots, a man and woman, appeared on-screen. They were both wearing flight suits and the heavy black helmets that Aeryn usually wore while flying. "Crais? Is that really you?" the man asked. 

"Who is this?" Crais queried back. The man removed his helmet. He was older than Crais, with gray hair, blue eyes, and a scar across his right cheek. He grinned, showing a set of un-Peacekeeper-like dimples. In Zhaan's opinion, he was an attractive man. "Braydon Tal?" Crais exclaimed. "What the frell are you doing here?" This was the man that Aeryn had told her about! Zhaan sent up a silent prayer of thanks to the Goddess that they managed to make contact. 

"I might ask you the same thing, Bialar," Tal shot back. "Nice looking ship you got there. Care to let us take a closer look?" 

Zhaan looked from Crais to the man on the screen. "Well, that all depends on what you want to do once you get aboard," he responded. Zhaan could tell that he didn't entirely trust Tal. 

"With all due respect, sir," his female co-pilot snapped as she removed her helmet to reveal a mane of curly red hair, "We're here because of our mutual friend, Aeryn Sun. Now shut up, deploy your frelling docking web and let us come aboard." 

"Lieutenant!" the older man, Tal, gasped in shock as he turned to his co-pilot. "Show a little respect for the Captain!" 

Crais, on the other hand, burst out in laughter. The others, unaccustomed to hearing Crais laugh, were looking at him like he'd lost his mind. He shook his head with amusement. "If that's Officer Jaad, she's never shown respect for anyone before. Why should she start now?" 

"That's Lieutenant to you, sir," the woman corrected him, but with a humorous note. 

"Deploy docking web," Crais ordered, grinning like a fool. "Let them come aboard." 

Several microts later, the Marauder set down in Talyn's docking hangar. Zhaan, Crais, and the others went to meet them. The two Peacekeepers emerged from the Marauder and looked around in awe. Crais greeted the older man by grasping forearms tentatively. Then, Tal and Crais embraced warmly, like two old friends. Crais then did the same to the woman, only without the embrace. Then, he turned to the others. "These are my friends. Commander Braydon Tal, Lieutenant Daya Jaad, this is Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan, Ka D'Argo, Stark, and Commander John Crichton." The woman did a double-take, then looked at the Human with amused curiosity. 

"So, you're the infamous Crichton?" Jaad asked as she walked around him, looking him over in an almost flirtatious manner. "Aeryn's told me a lot about you." Her green eyes flickered to John's crotch, then back up to his face as she suppressed a smirk. 

Crichton turned bright red. He said something unintelligible, then shook his head and concentrated. The redhead's scrutiny had clearly rattled him. "Aeryn's... friend?" he asked. 

"What's wrong with him? Translator microbes not working?" she asked Crais. 

"No, Lieutenant, it's worse," Zhaan replied, and told her. The woman's expression turned from amusement to horror as she heard what Scorpius had done to him. 

"I'm so sorry. I'm a medic, if that will help," she said gently to John. "We have at least one doctor in our little mutiny. When this is over with, I'll get her to look at you." Crichton nodded his thanks with tears in his eyes. "You're my best friend's lover. It's the least I can do." 

"Captain," Tal said to his former commander, "we don't have a whole lot of time. Scorpius is bound to be following us as soon as they can secure the carrier." 

"I agree, Commander." Crais said. "D'Argo, contact the Scarrans one more time. Tell them not to respond until they receive Talyn's signal. We have to make this look as convincing as possible. Everyone else, into the Marauder." 

As Crais said the name "Talyn", the older Peacekeeper started, and stared at Crais as if he'd seen a ghost. His surprise was short-lived, however. He followed the female Peacekeeper back up the Marauder's hatch, then extended a hand to Zhaan. "Pa'u," he addressed her formally, "it's hard enough to get in here without a long robe. Let me give you a hand." 

"Thank you, Commander," she smiled as he helped her up the hatch into the Marauder. Zhaan frowned as she looked around. "The last time I was on a Marauder, I was in handcuffs." 

Tal smiled ruefully. "Hopefully, this time Scorpius will be the one in handcuffs," he said. 

"May the Goddess make it so," she muttered, then smiled. Stark was climbing up the hatch. He turned and extended a hand down to Crichton. The female Peacekeeper turned and smiled hopefully at John, who was busy strapping himself in. D'Argo was the next up the hatch, then finally Crais. The captain took a place behind his former subordinate as Tal sealed the hatch. 

"Prepare for departure," Jaad said, as Zhaan strapped herself into a seat next to John. 

"Talyn, release docking web," Crais ordered. "Once we're clear, make for the upper atmosphere, power down, and wait for my signal." The lights blinked once as Talyn replied. 

The engines engaged, and the Marauder lifted off from the deck, then flew out of the docking bay. In the rear porthole, she saw Talyn making a beeline to the Scarran planet. Tal maneuvered the Marauder to hide behind one of the orbiting defense satellites. "Now, we wait for the command carrier," the older Peacekeeper said. "They should be along shortly." 

Beside her, John was struggling to say something. "Why... help... us?" he asked. 

Tal turned and looked at his passengers. "You mean, why am I violating my blood oath by planning a mutiny against my commander and helping a prisoner escape?" he asked. 

"Now that you mention it," D'Argo added, "yes." 

Tal sighed wearily. "There's two answers to that. The first is that I believe that Scorpius does not have the best interests of our race in his mind. The first thing I learned in basic training is that Peacekeepers don't start wars, we finish them. I'm an old soldier, Ka D'Argo. I've learned that you can't fight a war when you're far from your home territory, undermanned and low on supplies and morale. Scorpius isn't a military commander. He doesn't realize this." 

"Not to mention that he's a frelling psychopath," Jaad remarked. 

Crichton vigorously nodded his agreement. "Got... that... right," he stammered. 

She continued. "Do you know what that abomination did to Aeryn?" she hissed. 

"Jaad, they don't need to hear that," Tal warned his co-pilot, and turned to look out at Talyn, who was barely visible in the thick atmosphere of the Scarran homeworld. "The second is that I made a promise to a dying comrade a long time ago. And that's all I can say about it." He turned back to his controls as an uncomfortable silence settled over the Marauder's passengers. 

*** 

Aboard the command carrier, Aeryn was sitting in a chair at the very back of the command deck, near the entrance to the lift. Once the Marauder successfully made it through the wormhole, she relinquished the comms position to its normal occupant. She changed Scorpius' cooling rod, then prepared his belongings for the rough flight ahead. Once that was done, she found the most convenient place to make a quick exit, then strapped in. 

"All hands, this is Scorpius," the half-breed announced over the vidscreen on a shipwide broadcast. "You all have your mission briefings. Once we emerge from the wormhole, we will be in Scarran territory. Remain alert for anything. All hands prepare for departure." 

"Solar flare event sighted," Thuraya announced. 

"Fire main engines," Braca ordered. Aeryn felt the carrier's massive engines begin to vibrate as the ship rapidly accelerated. 

"Calculating trajectory for impact with flare," the navigator said. 

"Flare event impact in thirty microts," Thuraya calculated. 

"Increase speed to hetch nine," Scorpius said. He was smiling with anticipation. 

"Flare impact in fifteen microts." The stars streaked by on the vidscreen as the carrier skimmed the planet's upper atmosphere. "We are at hetch nine. Impact in ten microts." Aeryn gripped the armrests of the chair so hard that her fingers hurt. "Impact in five... four... three... two... one... mark!" Suddenly, the wormhole's blue corona filled the vidscreen. 

"_Frell.._." one technician whispered in awe. 

"Entering wormhole," the navigator said. "Hang on!" 

The carrier slipped into the wormhole, and was immediately buffeted side-to-side by the intense forces surrounding them. Several crewmembers, including Thuraya, were thrown across the bridge like toys. Scorpius laughed crazily, making the hairs on the back of Aeryn's neck stand on end. The bone-jarring ride continued for what seemed like forever, but in reality was only a few microts. "Approaching event horizon," the navigator announced over the din. 

"Steady on," Braca said. 

"Event horizon in five... four... three... two... one!" the navigator said. Aeryn and the rest of the crew were flung forward as the carrier was dumped out of the wormhole. 

"Slow to hetch one," Scorpius ordered. "Navigator, position!" He frowned suddenly, as if something was bothering him. 

She read out a star chart on her position as the ship slowed. "We are ten parsecs from the Scarran home system," she announced with pride. 

"Lieutenant," Thuraya turned to Braca, "all decks reporting minor damage. Several casualties, mostly from unsecured objects. Medical teams are being dispatched to all decks." 

"Very good. Weapons, I need the status of the Scarran early warning system." 

"Sensors indicate that they're still powered down. Apparently they haven't seen us yet," the comms officer informed them. "Wait a microt. We're being hailed. It's the Marauder, sir." 

"Put them on screen," Scorpius ordered. 

"The Marauder's visual communications array was damaged in the transit," the comms officer informed them. "We have audio only." Scorpius frowned, then nodded for the audio. 

"Tal to Command Carrier, do you copy?" the commander's voice came over the channel. 

"We copy, Commander," the comms officer replied. "What is your status?" 

"So far, we haven't been spotted. The Scarrans must be hibernating. Request permission to return." Tal said. That was the signal. Aeryn quietly released the straps on her seat and stood up. Braca must have caught her movement in his peripheral vision, because he turned and looked at her. She did a few stretches, just to cover herself. 

"Permission granted, Commander." Scorpius confirmed. Aeryn made her way to the lift slowly and quietly. 

"Deploying docking web for hangar eight," Thuraya said. 

The door to the lift hissed open as Aeryn approached. Scorpius whirled at the sound. "Where do you think you're going, my dear?" he asked as he strode across the deck to the lift. 

"I am going to congratulate my friends," she answered matter-of-factly. 

"Sir!" the navigator called out suddenly, "the Marauder is reading seven life-signs, only three of which are Sebacean!" _Frell!_ Aeryn thought as Scorpius grabbed her upper arm. _Almost made it!_

"Ah, my dearest Aeryn. It appears that your rescuers are here," Scorpius sneered. 

"I have no frelling idea what you're talking about!" 

"You're lying. I can read it in your mind," he hissed as he twisted her arm behind her to pull her in close. She could smell his foul breath in her face. "Shall we go and greet them?" 

"No thanks. I'll go myself!" she shot back as she spun around, stepping on his foot, then hitting him with a pakthar jab for good measure. She leapt into the lift and the door closed. 

Suddenly, Aeryn felt herself freeze in place as her muscles were overridden by the controller. She fought to overcome it and press the button before they could stop the car. It was too late. The doors opened again. Scorpius stood in front of them, with the controller in his hand. "That wasn't very nice of you, my pet." He stepped into the elevator and caressed her cheek. "You see, I felt John's presence the moment we arrived here. It was only a matter of time before I figured it out. I wonder, however, how they were able to capture the Marauder so quickly?" He stepped into the lift, and pressed the button to take them to the hangar deck. "You know, my pet, this could prove to be very interesting." She glared at Scorpius, but said nothing. 

The door opened at the hangar deck. Scorpius pressed the controller, and she walked forward stiffly at his side. She used every ounce of strength she had to make her left hand into the mutiny signal, and keep it hidden from her captor. He forced her to walk to hangar eight, where the Marauder was just landing. 

*** 

The crew on the Marauder watched the carrier come through the wormhole with no visible damage. To Zhaan's right, John sat up in his seat and drew a hiss of breath. His eyes clouded over and he started to twitch. She looked past him to Stark, who was sitting on the other side of the Human. "Scorpy!" John whispered. 

"Well, that's it. He knows we're here," Crais groaned. 

"He knows John is here. Not the rest of us," Zhaan corrected him. 

"We can't abort now. Just run with it," Tal reassured them. "Stick with the plan." 

Fortunately, he was able to convince the carrier that their visual link was damaged, so they didn't have to hide. So far, the operations crew gave no hint that they were aware of anything out of the ordinary. As Tal and Jaad landed the Marauder, Zhaan forced herself not to panic. The success of their plan hinged on that. 

*** 

Scorpius forced Aeryn to walk forward as the Marauder's hatch opened. The first person out was Daya. Her arms were above her head, and D'Argo jumped down next, a pulse-rifle pointed at her friend's head. Next came Tal in the same position, with Crais pointing a rifle at him. Aeryn caught her breath as John jumped out of the hatch behind them. Her eyes met his, and the entire hangar melted away. She tried to step forward, to run into his arms, but she was still controlled by Scorpius. 

"Well, Crichton," her captor said from behind her. "I must congratulate you on hijacking the Marauder. A bold move, even for you in your present state." 

"I think you know what we want, Scorpius," Crais called out. "Let Officer Sun go, and I'll let these two live." Aeryn looked from John to Crais. "Call it an even trade." 

"Oh, I don't think so. Right, John?" Scorpius smiled. As he did, Crichton's eyes clouded over. He walked right past Crais towards Aeryn and Scorpius. 

"Crichton, stop!" Crais yelled after him, but John kept walking towards her. He stopped directly in front of her, but there was no recognition in his eyes. 

"John!" Aeryn called out. "Can you hear me?" She felt a hand caress her hair, and Scorpius sidled up behind her. 

"Ah, true love. Ironic, isn't it? I have control of one's body, and the other's mind. Shall I make them do a little dance together, Crais? Or, maybe something a little more entertaining?" He waved a hand, and John shook his head clear. 

"Aeryn!" he said with surprise, then looked at Scorpius. "What..." he managed to get out, then his speech became unintelligible. 

"You know something, John? You're more like me than I originally thought," Scorpius put his arm around her and caressed her breast intimately. "Your lover here has shown me all of your little secrets. Haven't you, my pet?" 

"John, don't listen to him! He's lying!" Aeryn called out. For the first time, she was afraid of what Scorpius could do. 

"You... raped... her!" John accused Scorpius, his eyes filled with anger and hatred. 

Scorpius laughed. "Oh, hardly. You see, darling Aeryn came to me. Watch," he said, then nodded at the nearest vidscreen. Aeryn's stomach sank to her feet as an overhead shot of Scorpius' quarters came onto the screen. 

_She rubbed her hands against the leather encasing Scorpius' buttocks. "I'll bet there's at least one thing about John Crichton that I know and you don't."_

_"What's that?" he asked._

_Aeryn's hand reached around to the front of his leather uniform. "His likes, his dislikes, his... reactions," she purred into Scorpius' ear as she gently squeezed his genitals._

_"Living around lesser life-forms really has corrupted you, Sun," Braca interrupted._

_Aeryn turned to the Lieutenant and arched an eyebrow. "You didn't ask nicely," she smiled sweetly at him. "And besides, you're not the one with the power here."_

_"You're dismissed, Lieutenant," Scorpius waved him off. Braca stormed out of the room. "Now, tell me more about Crichton's... behavior." Scorpius purred._

_She pulled Scorpius down onto the bed and straddled him. "Well, you see...." she began, and unzipped the top of her suit._

As John watched the replay of her seduction, the look on his face turned to horrified shock. His mouth worked, but nothing came out. "You... _slut_!" he managed to spit out, then reached over and slapped her. 

Aeryn put a hand up over her cheek. "John, it's not what you think! I made it all up!" 

"She's lying, John," Scorpius hissed. "She enjoyed every microt of it. In fact, she said that you were a bit too tame for her tastes. After what she showed me, I had to agree with her." 

"John, no! You have to believe me!" Aeryn started to panic. He didn't need to say anything. The hatred in his eyes condemned her worse than any words could. 

"She betrayed your trust," Scorpius whispered in his ear. "Just like she betrayed her old lover, Velorek. She deserves to die." He put the controller in John's hand. "Kill her, John!" 

He pressed the button, and a bolt of fire shot up Aeryn's spine. Her eyes rolled back and she gasped in pain. "Please, John! Stop! You don't want to do this!" In response, he turned the controller up, and pain exploded in her brain. She collapsed to the deck, writhing in agony as John mindlessly tortured her. 

*** 

Zhaan and Stark, still concealed in the Marauder, watched the scene outside with horror. As Scorpius called Crichton to him, she faced Stark. "I hope your idea works," she said. "It's our only hope." She took his hands, and they put their foreheads together. The two of them began to chant, raising their power. Zhaan realized quickly that it wouldn't be enough. They needed more. She had a sudden flash of remembrance of their encounter an ancient and powerful priestess nearly a cycle ago. "D'Argo! We need you here!" she called out. The Luxan tossed his rifle to Commander Tal and climbed back into the Marauder. 

"What can I do?" he asked. 

"Join us. We need the power that the Orican left in you, and we need it now!" 

D'Argo put his hands over Stark and Zhaan's, then touched his forehead to theirs, forming a triangle. Immediately, Zhaan felt a surge of an ancient, formidable power from the Luxan Orican. It was buried so deep within D'Argo's psyche that he was unaware of it. She interwove it with her and Stark's working. The crackle of power on her aura was almost unbearable. Outside the Marauder, she heard Aeryn scream John's name, and heard a thump as she collapsed onto the deck. It would have to be done now. Zhaan released the bolt of power upward, across the link, and into Aeryn's body. 

*** 

Aeryn writhed on the deck as John kept turning up the intensity on the controller. She screamed wordlessly as, without warning, a blinding white bolt of power shot down her spine from her brain to her fingers and toes. The power overrode the pain. She was now able to move of her own accord. She stood in one smooth movement. She looked at John, who was staring at her with absolute hatred. _A weapon in my hand. Sword of the Goddess_, she heard Khalaan's voice in the back of her head. "I'm sorry, my love," she said in a voice that was hers, but yet wasn't. She held up her right hand, and a bolt of power shot out of it. It connected with John's hand and sent the controller spinning out of it. He looked down in astonishment. Another wave of her hand, and he flew backwards and landed with a sickening thud on the deck. 

"_Frelling dren_!" she heard Daya exclaim from behind the Marauder's landing struts. She ignored Daya and turned toward Scorpius. 

His face was paler than usual. She stepped forward, and he backed up against the bulkhead, holding his arms out in front of him. She pinned him against the bulkhead. "Tell me, something. Do you fear me, Scorpius?" she asked. 

"Who are you? _What_ are you?" he stammered. His eyes were wide with terror at seeing someone more powerful than himself. 

"I have many names," she replied in the voice not her own. "Zhaan's race calls me Rha'nallan, the Destroyer. Crichton's ancestors called me Morrigan, the battle goddess, the protector. I do not take lightly to those that challenge the order of the Universe, foolish mortal. You have taken for yourself the knowledge that only the Ancients can possess, and have used it for destructive purposes. For that, and for other unspeakable evil, you must be punished." Aeryn reached forward and put her hands around Scorpius' throat. She squeezed tighter and tighter, choking the life out of this malevolent creature. 

"Aeryn!" she heard a woman scream to her right. "Stop it! You're killing Crichton!" She looked toward the voice. Daya and Crais were kneeling beside John, who was having a violent seizure. Scorpius took advantage of the lapse, and punched her in the jaw. She staggered backwards, and aimed a vicious kick at his midsection. She didn't want to get into hand-to-hand combat with him. Suddenly, a bolt exploded on the wall behind Scorpius. She spun around to see Braca aiming a pulse-pistol at her, then doubling over as a bolt from another pistol hit him in the stomach. She looked over to see Commander Tal standing in front of Crais, with his rifle up. He fired another shot into Braca's head, and the Lieutenant fell dead to the deck. 

Scorpius grabbed her neck and pulled her in tight, his hand against pressing hard against her throat. "Now who's afraid of who?" he hissed. 

Aeryn jabbed her elbow into his stomach, then flipped him over and popped his cooling rods out of his skull. Scorpius sprawled face-forward on the floor. She looked over at Tal. "Commander, take this piece of dren into custody," Aeryn said. "Make sure he stays alive, at least for now." She started to walk toward Daya and Crais, who were attempting to stop John's seizure. As she walked, the unnatural power left her abruptly. Her vision grayed out, and she swayed back and forth. Then, her knees suddenly gave way. Aeryn felt herself being caught by a pair of strong arms. For a microt, her confused mind thought it was Crichton. 

"I've got her," she heard Crais say before she finally lost consciousness. 

* * *

  
  



	4. Part 4: Love and Darkness

#  By Any Means Necessary

##  Part 4 - Love and Darkness

  
Zhaan heard Jaad yell that Crichton was dying, and she abruptly broke the connection with the two men. She trembled from the shock of being pulled back into her body. She jumped out of the Marauder's hatch, then ducked as she saw Braca and Tal exchange fire. Braca doubled over when a bolt hit him. She kept under cover until she heard Aeryn tell the commander to take Scorpius into custody. Zhaan ran across the deck as she saw Aeryn collapse into Crais' arms. 

"Pa'u Zhaan!" Jaad called out. "I need some help here!" Zhaan joined her at John's side. The redhead looked up at Crais. "Get her to the infirmary. She's in shock!" she ordered. Crais turned and ran with Aeryn in his arms. "This is Lieutenant Jaad. Medical emergency, hangar eight!" she said into her comm badge, then tossed a glance over to D'Argo, who was climbing out of the Marauder. "There's a stretcher and medkit in there. Get it for me!" In the meantime, Zhaan tried to hold down Crichton, who was jerking violently and gasping. 

Stark ran over with the medkit. D'Argo followed with the stretcher. The young Peacekeeper opened it and pulled out a hyposyringe. "Hold him down. I'm going to sedate him," she ordered. Zhaan and D'Argo steadied Crichton, and Stark placed a his hands on the Human's temple. Zhaan realized what he was doing, and pulled his mask off partially. John stopped jerking enough for Daya to inject the sedative directly into John's carotid artery. Immediately he relaxed. "Good. Where the frell is that medical team?" she exclaimed and looked around for them. 

"This is Commander Tal," Zhaan overheard the older man announce over the communications system. "I have relieved Scorpius of command, and have taken control of this vessel. Lieutenant Braca is dead. Lieutenant Thuraya will be Acting First Officer until further notice. I am issuing a general order to stand down. We will be returning to home base as soon as possible. I thank you for your loyalty, and I expect your full cooperation." As he spoke, a team of medical technicians rushed into the hangar. Jaad appraised them of Crichton's condition as they lifted him gently onto a gurney. The two women accompanied Crichton to the medical suite, followed by D'Argo and Stark. 

*** 

Aeryn felt a hand in a leather glove holding her right hand. She forced her eyes open. As her vision cleared, she saw D'Argo sitting next to her. Crais was standing on the other side of the bed. "Relax, Aeryn," D'Argo said gently. "You're in the infirmary." 

She looked around to see a gold bedcover and an antiseptic-looking environment. Under the cover, she was in her underwear. She also felt stickiness where monitoring electrodes had been taped to her head and chest. "How long have I been out?" she asked. 

"About an arn," Crais informed her. She saw something reflected in his eyes that she hadn't expected. "The doctor says that your neural synapses overloaded, but there's no permanent damage. You just needed to recover." 

"And Scorpius?" 

"Tal has him in the brig, in solitary confinement," Crais said. 

She looked past the two men into the small, curtained-off area of the infirmary. "Where's John? I need to speak with him," she asked. D'Argo turned away and looked at the floor. Crais intently studied something on the other side of the room. Aeryn started to panic. "The last time someone wouldn't tell me where he was, he had been captured." 

"He's in surgery," Crais admitted. "Doctor Skada is trying to complete the work that the Diagnostan didn't finish. Zhaan and Stark are with him. I think you should know that the odds are not in his favor." Crais took her other hand gently. 

"They never are, but he always manages to pull through," she stated. The remembrance of the hatred and betrayal on his face came back to her. She didn't want that to be her last memory of him. She sat up and tried to get out of bed. "I have to talk to him. I need to apologize, to let him know that I made it all up to fool Scorpius." 

Crais and D'Argo caught her, and pushed her back down onto the bed. "You can't," D'Argo said gently. "He's under heavy sedation." 

Crais leaned over and squeezed her shoulder gently. "Crichton will understand once he's no longer under Scorpius' influence. You did an admirable job under the most difficult circumstances. I'm very proud of you. So is Talyn." 

She perked up at the mention of Moya's son. "Talyn managed to get you here? Zhaan told me that you thought he could do it." 

"Yes, he performed a navigated starburst. It wasn't perfect, but it was remarkable." 

Aeryn smiled. "That's wonderful. Crais, please tell him that I'm very proud of him." 

Crais relayed the message, then smiled back at her. "Talyn is also very relieved that you are alive and relatively unharmed. He missed you." 

The curtain suddenly was pulled aside. Daya Jaad appeared carrying several items of clothing. "All right, get out, both of you. Aeryn needs to get up and moving. We need the bed space for other casualties." Crais started to object. She glared at her former captain, and waved him and D'Argo out. "You can wait out in the hall." She sealed the curtain back up after they left. 

"Hey," Aeryn grinned to her friend. 

Daya looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "What did you say?" 

"Oh, sorry. It's a greeting that John taught me." 

Daya smirked in response. "What else did you learn from him?" she commented. 

"Shut up, Daya," Aeryn warned. "That's not funny." 

"Sorry," her friend apologized. "You're right. It's not funny." She sat on the bed next to Aeryn. "He's a good man, Aeryn. He cares very deeply for you. I could tell that much in the short time since I've met him. He'll understand what happened with old Scarran-breath." 

"I'm not so sure," she sighed. "You didn't see what I saw." 

"Hey," her friend echoed the greeting earlier, "don't think about it too much. Let's get you up and dressed, so you can see him when he wakes up. I brought you a spare uniform. It'll be a little short on you. We had to cut the leather thing off of you. I hope you don't mind." 

"Not at all," Aeryn winced as her friend peeled off the sensors. "The sooner I could get out of it, the better." 

"Bad associations?" 

"Not to mention that it was hot, uncomfortable, chafed, and built for someone with bigger lumas," she replied as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. The room spun. She leaned on Daya for support. 

With Daya's help, she slowly dressed and got her bearings. Her friend gave her a final hug, then left. When she was ready, she stepped out into the infirmary's waiting area to join her friends. Stark was the first one to notice her. "Aeryn!" he exclaimed, then she found herself enveloped in the Bannik's embrace. Then D'Argo hugged her, lifting her into the air as he did so. 

As he released her, she came face-to-face with Zhaan. The Delvian pulled Aeryn into her arms and held her tight. "Well done, Aeryn. Khalaan wishes to tell you that you have fulfilled her wishes. For now, anyway." 

Aeryn realized that the peaceful presence in her mind was now gone. "It's a shame. I've gotten used to hearing Her in my head." 

"I can help you with that," Zhaan replied. "Just let me know when you are ready." 

Someone coughed behind Zhaan. Aeryn turned to see Crais waiting. Zhaan released her, and the Captain handed her something. It was the nanobot controller that had been thrown across the hangar deck. "I think this should stay with you," he said quietly. 

"Thank you," she whispered as she took the controller from him. She remembered their conversation just before she took off after John in her Prowler - the one about Talyn wanting her to join them. She'd never answered him. At this point, she wasn't sure what the answer was. 

The door to the surgical bay opened, and Doctor Skada came out. The woman looked exhausted. A smear of blood stained the front of her blue surgical gown. Aeryn focused on that smear of John's blood. She'd seen blood before, lots of it. But this was much different. 

"Whatever Scorpius did to him, it was very pervasive," Skada informed them. The tension in her voice was clear. "I've seen a lot of brain trauma, but I've never seen anything like that." 

"Did you repair the damage?" Zhaan asked for all of them. 

Skada looked at her. "Yes and no. I was able to remove the remnants of the neural chip that had woven through his brain. However, his seizure was caused by a massive blood clot inside the dura mater. I had to drain that before I could proceed further." 

"So, what's his prognosis?" Zhaan asked again. Aeryn felt the room spinning again. She reached out and took Crais's hand. She felt D'Argo's hand on her shoulder, supporting her. 

"I honestly don't know at this time. Best case, he'll have minor brain damage. At the worst case, he could never come out of the coma." 

"Is there anything that can repair the brain damage?" Aeryn asked and held up the controller. "You brought me back from the dead with your nanobots. Can't you inject them into John? I'd be happy to donate some of mine." 

"I'm afraid not. Nanobots can't penetrate the brain. It's the same reason that Scorpius controlled your body, but not your mind. If Crichton was Sebacean, he'd have more of a chance to make a full recovery." 

"Why is that?" Stark asked. 

"We could harvest the stem cells from a compatible embryo, inject them into Crichton, and stimulate them to repair the neural pathways. But his DNA is just far enough off of Sebacean for that option to not be available." 

"We may have a match," D'Argo exclaimed. "The Neutral Colonies. Katralla's child." 

"He has an unborn child?" the doctor asked hopefully. 

Realization dawned on Aeryn. "Yes! Of course!" She looked up at the others, who were staring at her and D'Argo like they'd gone insane. "While we were visiting the Neutral Colonies, they discovered that John was the only male whose DNA was compatible with their Princess." 

D'Argo jumped in. "They harvested DNA samples from him, fertilized an egg and implanted it in Katralla. John released all claim to any future offspring." 

"They were careful enough to fertilize one egg. They must have done more and kept them frozen in case Katralla wanted more children," Aeryn added. 

"Will they release an embryo?" Zhaan asked. 

"They'd better," D'Argo shot back. "We just saved them from a war with the Scarrans." 

"Can he be moved?" Aeryn asked the doctor. 

Skada hesitated. "It depends. In a Marauder, no. Medical transports are too slow. The more we delay, the less chance there is of a full recovery." 

Aeryn turned to look at Crais. He practically read her mind. "Talyn is at your disposal," he said gallantly. "He doesn't have a medical facility, but he is fast." 

"Thank you, Crais," Zhaan said. "I can monitor Crichton while on the journey." 

"Good," Skada replied. "I'll give you detailed instructions on how to do the stem cell procedure. Unfortunately, I'm needed here, or I'd go with you. I admit, I'm rather curious about this, what did you call him? Human?" 

"He inspires curiosity in a great many people," Zhaan smiled. 

"He also pisses off a great many people. Often at the same time," D'Argo grumbled. 

*** 

Half an arn later, the medical techs had transferred Crichton to Crais's quarters inside Talyn. The little gunship didn't have any rooms besides that, the command section and the docking bay. Zhaan hooked up the monitors while Aeryn and Crais said their final goodbyes. 

"Contact us when you get to the Neutral Colonies," Tal said as he embraced her tightly. 

"You sound like an overprotective father," Aeryn teased. 

Tal frowned. A strange expression came over his face. "You could come back, Sun. We could petition High Command to retract your sentence..." 

"Two cycles ago, I would have given anything for what you just offered me. But not anymore. Even if you could persuade High Command, I don't belong here anymore." 

"No, you don't," Tal agreed. "You've grown. I'm very proud of you, Officer Sun." 

"Thank you, sir. That means more to me than anything else." 

Tal then turned to Crais. "The door is open for you, too, Bialar. You know that I never wanted command. I'm an old Prowler pilot that's been thrust into something that's out of my league. I can talk to High Command on your behalf..." 

Crais shook his head. "No, Braydon. I resigned my commission, remember? Don't worry. I have every confidence in you. After all, you served under the best captain in the fleet." The two of them clasped arms and embraced tightly. 

"I thought so. Besides, I'm envious of that gunship of yours. He's already lived up to his name," Tal said quietly. Aeryn looked at her old commander questioningly, but a certain redhead pulled her away before she could ask any more questions. 

"So, you're leaving," Daya observed. "At least we get to say goodbye this time." 

She embraced her friend warmly. "I think I'll miss you most of all," she said as tears came to her eyes. 

"Give that gorgeous man a big kiss for me when he wakes up," she teased. "Or maybe something more. You know, if you don't want him, I'll take him." 

"It's too bad you're not coming with us, Daya. We have a crewmate named Chiana. I think you'd like her a lot. Provided you didn't kill each other." 

"Aeryn, Zhaan says that it's time," Crais interrupted. "We should go now." She nodded, then hugged Daya one last time. Then she followed Crais through the docking umbilical to Talyn. 

*** 

Talyn's second attempt at a navigated starburst had the same results as his first. Although D'Argo and Aeryn had given him coordinates for the Neutral Colonies, but the little ship still undershot the mark. Still, Aeryn and Crais both lavished him with praise. Aeryn was still amazed that Talyn was able to do something that Moya couldn't, especially at such a young age. 

Her joy at Talyn's accomplishment and happiness at being reunited with her family aboard Moya was tempered by John's condition. He was hooked to monitors which read out heart, respiratory, and neural functions. His head was partially shaved, and a thick bandage covered the incision. Aeryn spent most of the journey in Crais's quarters at Crichton's side. Even though John was under sedation, she still felt like she had to be there in case he awoke. 

Aeryn stared out the window as Talyn made his way to the Royal Planet at the fastest speed he could manage. The door hissed open behind her, and a heavy set of footsteps told her that either D'Argo or Crais had entered. 

"We should be at the Royal Planet within half an arn," Crais informed her. "Talyn has contacted Moya. He says that she is very excited to see you." 

She turned around. "I'm looking forward to seeing her, too. I'll be glad to be home." 

"How is Crichton doing?" 

"The same," she confessed. 

"Aeryn," he sat down in the chair next to the bed, and motioned for her to join him. She crossed the room and sat on the bed. Her hand covered John's. "I need to tell you something." 

She backed away skeptically. Ever since she'd woken up in the infirmary, Crais had been hovering around her like Rygel around a buffet. "I'm not sure I know where this is coming from, Captain," she said tentatively. 

He smiled. "I realized something after I bonded with Talyn. His name sounded familiar." 

"I told you, it was my father's name." 

"I know. How much do you know about him, or your mother?" 

"My mother, Aerzi Sun, died in battle when I was five cycles old. She was a Prowler pilot. Before she went on her last mission, she told me that my father's name was Talyn, he had died before I was born, and that she had loved him very much. They had chosen to mate with each other rather than conceive through an unknown donor. I tried to research this after I graduated from training, but the records were sealed." 

"I see. Well, I realized that I'd heard the name Talyn before, when I was growing up. My father was the eldest of three brothers. My family didn't talk about the youngest, only that he joined the Peacekeepers at fifteen. I did some research, and discovered that his name was Talyn." 

"Wait a microt," Aeryn said, not believing what Crais was saying. "This isn't a coincidence, is it?" 

"No, it isn't. I managed to find the Peacekeeper personnel records and discovered that they hadn't heard about my resignation yet. I called up the name Talyn Crais, and I discovered this," he handed her a chip with a Peacekeeper symbol. 

She looked around for a viewscreen, but she couldn't find one. "What's on it?" 

"Lieutenant Talyn Crais was part of the team that designed the prototype of the Prowler. In fact, he was the main designer. He was apparently a gifted engineer. He was assigned to a Military Tech research station in the Dellis sector." 

"I was born in the Dellis sector," Aeryn added. 

"Yes, you were. I was thrown off by the fact that colonists on my home planet give the father's surname to children, whereas Peacekeepers use the mother's surname. I eventually found your birth record. It lists your father as Lieutenant Talyn Crais." 

Aeryn turned pale. "So, what you're saying is that we're..." 

"First cousins," Crais finished. Aeryn did a double-take. "There's more. Your mother, Aerzi Sun, was assigned to the Prowler project as a test pilot. So was another hotshot pilot - Lieutenant Braydon Tal." 

Her mind reeled. Her mentor, the man she considered to be like a father to her, had known who she was all along. "All of those cycles under his command, and he never told me." 

"He probably couldn't. According to official records, Talyn Crais died while trying to keep the prototype Prowler from a Scarran attack force. He self-destructed rather than have the prototype and his knowledge fall into enemy hands. After his death, the records were sealed." 

"And the others on the project were sworn to secrecy," Aeryn completed his sentence. "It explains a lot about my life, though. Especially Tal's cryptic comment when we left." 

"If it's any consolation to you, Braydon explained to us that one of the reasons he was helping us was a promise to a dying comrade. When he said it, he looked directly at Talyn. Now that I've had time to think about it, I believe he may have made a promise to your father to look after you, and this was his way of fulfilling that promise." 

"I see," she whispered, still not believing it. "So, where do we go from here?" 

Crais looked down at her hand covering John's. "Talyn wants you to come with us." 

"And you, Crais? What do you want?" 

"Please, if we're going to be cousins, call me Bialar," he tilted his head back and closed his eyes. "I don't know, Aeryn. I had entertained the idea of a relationship with you before I found this information. However, the fact that we are closely related changes a great deal." 

"My plans haven't changed. I want to stay aboard Moya, and try to pick up the pieces of my life, such as it is," she looked down at the unconscious Human on the bed. "I still love him. That's not going to change." 

Crais looked her in the eye. "Crichton may not survive this." 

Her anger flared. "Don't say that! Don't even think that!" 

He backed off and held up his hands in surrender. "I think that, once we get all of you to you destination, Talyn and I should leave. I think we all need some time to get used to this new relationship. I won't stand in Crichton's way, Aeryn. I can't." 

"Thank you, Cr... Bialar," she corrected herself. 

Talyn's lights blinked and Crais's face clouded over, the way it usually did when he was communicating with the gunship. "I see. Thank you, Talyn. I'll be right there." He looked over at Aeryn. "Talyn says that Pilot is hailing us. We'll be docking with them in a few microts." 

"I'll stay here, if you don't mind," she said. 

"Of course," he answered, then left the room. Aeryn stared after him, not quite knowing what to think of this latest turn of events. 

*** 

Zhaan studied the instructions for the stem cell procedure, but it was almost incomprehensible. She'd never felt so helpless. She was a simple healer with a background in science, not someone accustomed to doing brain surgery. For the first time in a long while, she felt inadequate. Stark sensed her discomfort and put his arms around her from behind. She smiled and turned around, then pressed her forehead to his. 

"You never gave me an answer," he whispered. 

She sighed. "This isn't the time, my love. We have to get John back onto Moya, and..." 

"Zhaan," he said, "I know that you care for Crichton and the others, but you need to start thinking of your own wants. Your own desires." Stark brushed her lips with his and kissed her. 

Zhaan wanted to respond to his overtures, but she held back. "No, Stark. I am sorry, but this is not the time. I care deeply for you, but I have a higher duty to perform." 

He released her from his embrace. "I understand. And, I'm willing to wait, for a while." 

"Pa'u Zhaan," Crais tapped her gently on the shoulder to interrupt them. "We'll be docking in a few microts." 

"Thank you, Captain," she nodded. "Stark? D'Argo? I'll need your assistance," she said as she went into Crais's quarters to prepare Crichton for transfer. 

*** 

Aeryn paced nervously as Talyn's docking umbilical was attached to Moya and the airlock sealed. All of the gunship's passengers had an unspoken agreement that Aeryn would be the first one through the airlock. "Pilot is reporting the airlock is secured. You may open the hatch, Aeryn," Crais instructed. 

Her hands were shaking as she blew the hatch. She didn't know what to expect on the other side. So much had changed in such a short time. Aeryn took a deep breath and walked through the short umbilical to the older Leviathan. As she stepped into Moya's hangar, she saw a blur of gray and white come toward her. She staggered backward as Chiana tackled her, laughing and crying at the same time. The young Nebari pulled her into a crushing embrace. "Aeryn! I'm so glad you're back!" she squealed with delight. 

"Get out of the way, you stupid tralk," Rygel ordered imperiously from behind her. Aeryn looked past Chiana's fluffy white hair to see the little Hynerian hovering close behind and smiling like he'd just hit the jackpot. Aeryn pried herself from Chiana's arms, then pulled Rygel down and hugged him, thronesled and all. She was so happy that she even gave the insufferable little rodent a kiss on the lips. "Now, there was no need for that!" Rygel harrumphed. 

"I never thought I'd be glad to see you, Rygel," she confessed as she released him. 

"Likewise," he grumbled. "Nice to see you're all back in one piece," he observed as the others crossed over from Talyn. 

"Not quite all of us," D'Argo replied. He was carrying the front end of the stretcher that held Crichton. Stark was carrying the other end. Crais brought up the rear. 

Chiana bent over the Human and took his lifeless hand in hers, holding it close to her face. Tears shone on her cheeks. "Did Scorpy...?" she looked up at Zhaan and asked. 

"Crichton had a massive blood clot inside his brain. He almost died, but the Peacekeeper doctor managed to reverse what Scorpius had done to him," Zhaan answered gently. 

"Where's Jothee?" D'Argo looked around and asked. 

"He's bringing the stem cells from the Royal Planet," Rygel replied. "The Empress wasn't thrilled about sacrificing her future grandchildren to save their real father's life, but I managed to persuade her otherwise." 

"By reminding her that she owed us big time," Chiana added. 

Aeryn suddenly felt uncomfortable with the thought that Katralla and that bitch of a mother had the key to restoring John's mind. She didn't like owing them anything. "I... I have to go see Pilot," she said quickly, then left the others to take care of Crichton. 

As she walked through Moya, she felt an overwhelming urge to run her hand along the wall. She felt as if she was caressing the Leviathan. Oddly enough, she had the feeling that Moya was responding to her touch. Perhaps it was the nanobots that were coursing through her body and reacting with Pilot's DNA, but she felt closer to Moya than ever before. 

Aeryn walked through the hatch to Pilot's den quietly. He was concentrating on something, but he looked over toward her and smiled broadly. "Officer Sun!" he exclaimed happily, then beckoned her over with a free arm. She practically ran to him. Pilot used two arms to lift her bodily over his console and pull her into a tight embrace. She was too choked up to say anything. "Moya and I were lost without you, Aeryn Sun," Pilot said. "I didn't think that we'd ever see you again." She nodded wordlessly and wiped tears away from her eyes. "Moya wishes to tell you that she did feel your touch. She is delighted that you are alive." 

"So am I, Pilot," she whispered through her tears. Here, in the heart of Moya, Aeryn finally felt like she was home. Then, her hands brushed something inside her vest pocket. She pulled it out gingerly. "Pilot, may I entrust you with something?" she asked. 

He looked down at her skeptically. "I will help you with anything you wish, Aeryn." 

"This is what's controlling the nanobots in my body. I think you've seen what would happen if it would fall into the wrong hands." 

Pilot nodded grimly. "I could not bear to see you tortured like that." 

"Unfortunately, they're also responsible for bringing me back to life. I'd like to give this to a DRD. Send it somewhere deep within Moya, then tell it to hide the controller there. In case anything happens to me, pull it out and give it to Zhaan." 

"I will do this for you, but shouldn't you keep it for yourself?" 

She shook her head. "No. I don't want anyone else to know about this, in case we're overrun. It's for everyone's safety, not just mine." 

"I understand," Pilot said. "I'll keep your secret safe." 

She stroked his leathery cheek gently. "Thank you, Pilot." Then, she handed the controller to a DRD that had climbed up Pilot's console. She watched quietly as the bright yellow DRD scooted away on its mission. 

*** 

The implantation of the stem cells from John's embryonic offspring actually went smoother than Zhaan thought. Doctor Skada's instructions were quite detailed, and she was able to follow them to the letter. The whole operation was over in less than an arn. She would have to monitor him for the next two solar days, but Zhaan believed that he would make a full recovery. 

Meanwhile, life aboard Moya was still in a state of flux. When D'Argo was reunited with his son, the tension between them and Chiana was almost visible. Instead of staying apart like she'd hoped, the two teens had simply grown closer while everyone else was gone. She didn't fault Rygel or Pilot for their lack of diligence. It was inevitable that the two of them would get together. Ordinarily, she'd have encouraged the match. But D'Argo's feelings had to be considered, too. Zhaan gave up thinking about their situation. She had much more important things to concentrate on. 

As she was watching Crichton's life signs on the monitor, she felt arms encircle her. She leaned back into Stark's embrace and let him comfort her. She was so tired that she could fall asleep right there and then. The Bannik sensed that, and kissed the top of her head. "Rest, my love," he whispered. "I'll watch over both of you." 

"I really shouldn't," she began. Stark stroked her cheek, then put his hand over her eyes gently. She closed them. From behind her eyelids, she saw a glow as he removed his mask. 

"Shhh.... go to sleep, Zhaan," he murmured. "I'll stay with you as long as you need me." She didn't fight it, and drifted off to sleep. 

*** 

In Aeryn's nightmare, John turned into Scorpius, then back again as she had sex with him. Finally, he thrust into her and turned into some weird combination of both of them. Then she was back in the ejection seat, falling rapidly. She hit the water and was sucked under. She struggled to the surface, only to have Scorpius reaching out his hand to help her up. "You're mine, pet," he laughed, then turned into John again. "You're his tralk, Aeryn!" he accused her, then turned his back on her plea for help. She slid beneath the water again, calling out his name as she did. The blackness engulfed her again. 

Aeryn woke with a scream and sat straight up. She was in her own bed, in her own quarters aboard Moya. Her heart was racing, and she gasped for breath. A DRD chirped quietly at her. She smiled with the knowledge that Pilot was watching over her. "I'm all right," she reassured the it. "It was just a bad dream." The DRD seemed to be satisfied with that answer, because it switched direction and rolled out of the room. "I wish it was all just a bad dream," she muttered to herself. However, the pain in her muscles from the torture reminded her that it was real. She stood up and staggered to the washbasin in her bathroom. She ran the cold water, then splashed some on her face to clear her head. As she looked up, she caught a reflection of herself in the mirror. Her throat was bruised where Scorpius had tried to strangle her. She ran her fingers over the bruise gently, but still winced with discomfort. _Frell this_, she thought,_ I've had worse_. She shrugged off the memories, then went back into the main room. 

Someone was waiting for her as she opened the door. Aeryn jumped with surprise as Rygel hovered through the door to her quarters. "If you're going to have nightmares, at least have the common decency to keep them to yourself," he grumbled. 

"I'm fine, Rygel. Thank you for asking," she shot back. 

"Good. I could hear you all the way in the next chamber," he replied, a little more gently. 

"So sorry to disturb you." 

"If you need someone to talk to, I'll be right next door," he offered. 

Aeryn did a double-take. It wasn't like Rygel to be kind without some benefit to himself, but sometimes the little slug surprised her. She nodded gratefully. "Thank you." 

"After over a hundred cycles, Durka still managed to get to me," he shared quietly. 

"But you beat him in the end." 

"Only after a lot of sleepless nights," Rygel added. "But I did win. And so will you." 

She smiled, and kissed Rygel on the forehead. "Thanks," she whispered. 

"Just keep it quiet, will you?" he groused, then hovered away on his thronesled. 

*** 

"Zhaan," Stark's whisper cut through her sleep. He was shaking her awake, after spending the sleep cycle in his arms. "Time to wake up." 

She heard beeping in the rhythm of a four-chambered heart beating. She opened her eyes. "Crichton?" she asked sleepily. 

"Improving," he answered. 

She disengaged herself, and straightened her robes as she looked at the monitor. John's brain functions were returning to normal parameters. "Thank the Goddess," she sighed. As she bent over him, his eyelids fluttered. "He's regaining consciousness." 

"I'll let the others know," Stark replied, then left the room. 

John groaned, then opened his eyes. He looked up at her and smiled weakly. "Hey, Blue," he said. "What happened?" His speech was clear, with no audible sign of aphasia. 

"It's a long story," she patted his shoulder gently. She gave him a brief summary of what had happened since he'd collapsed on the carrier's deck. 

He frowned and seemed to check something within. "So, I'm clear?" he asked hopefully. 

"I will need to run some tests to be sure, but I am fairly positive that you are no longer under Scorpius's influence." 

"Scorpy? The real one? What happened to him?" 

"In solitary confinement in the Carrier's brig. Braca was killed by Commander Tal." 

"So much for Pinky and the Brain," he smirked. 

Zhaan looked at him, not comprehending his reference. "Well, that just proves that you're recovering. Your speech is clear - it's just that I don't understand the context." 

"Two lab mice. One wants to take over the world, and the other's an idiot. Never mind." 

"Stark went to inform the others. They should be here shortly," she changed the subject. 

"Good." She helped him to sit up slowly. He was still shaking when he reached for a cup of water by the bed. As he was drinking, D'Argo, Chiana, and Rygel came in, followed by Stark. 

"Crichton!" D'Argo called out. "You're alive!" He pulled the Human into an embrace that almost sucked the air out of his lungs. 

"Not if you keep doing that," he gasped. D'Argo released him, and Chiana pushed her lover out of the way. "Hey, Pip," John winked. "How's tricks?" 

"Better, now that you're back with us, Old Man," she answered, and kissed his cheek. 

As she bent over, Rygel smacked her bottom. She jumped up, which gave the Hynerian room to maneuver in closer. "Does this mean that I don't get your things?" he asked. 

"Guido! Good to see you, too!" Crichton grinned, and pulled Rygel in for a hug and kiss. Then, he looked around. "Where's everyone else?" 

"Jothee wasn't around. Neither was Crais," Stark replied. "Aeryn was in the shower." 

"I don't care if she did come back from the dead," Rygel grumbled. "The bloody bitch been in there for over an arn, using up all of the hot water!" 

Zhaan frowned at that news. Aeryn normally took very quick showers - a throwback to her Peacekeeper days. Something was wrong. "Someone should check on her," she muttered. 

"No need," Pilot interrupted from the clamshell screen. "She's on her way down." 

"Good," Crichton said, a darker tone coming into his voice that only Zhaan caught. "I'm looking forward to seeing her." 

*** 

As she stood in the shower, Aeryn tried to wash off every last molecule of Scorpius's touch from herself. But no matter how hard she scrubbed, she still felt filthy. Then, where no one else could see or hear her, she screamed and pounded the wall so hard that the skin on her knuckles bruised. She didn't even feel the pain, although she felt a shudder from Moya. 

Aeryn emerged from the steamy bathroom into her quarters, and the chilly air made her skin tingle. As she reached for clean underclothes, Pilot's voice came over the comm. "Officer Sun," he said as his face appeared on the clamshell monitor. Aeryn jumped, then pulled the towel over her naked body. She may have been closer to Pilot than anyone else, but that didn't mean that she wanted him to see all of her. "Sorry to disturb you, but I have good news. Commander Crichton has regained consciousness." 

Her heart skipped a beat. "Thank you, Pilot. I'll be right there, as soon as I get some clothes on." 

"There is another thing," he began. "Moya asks that you not take such a long shower next time. She had to expend a great deal of energy to heat that amount of water to a sufficient temperature, and now she has to recycle it." 

"Oh, Pilot! I'm so sorry! I guess I just lost track of time," she stammered as she pulled on her support top. "Please tell Moya that it won't happen again." 

"She understands," he said cryptically. Whether that meant that Moya understood the pain that she was going through, or that it wouldn't happen again, was anyone's guess. Pilot cut the transmission before she could ask him further. She quickly pulled on her well-worn leather pants and tossed a work shirt over her top, then dashed out of her quarters to the medical bay. 

Everyone on board, with the exception of Pilot and Jothee, was clustered around John's bed. The Human was awake and joking amiably with everyone. "I see that you're back to what passes for normal," she teased. Everyone turned and looked at her. She met John's eyes and drew closer to him. Chiana and D'Argo separated to let her through to the bed. John's eyes were still sunken into his face, as if he was haunted by something. He was putting on a brave face for everyone else, but she saw something beneath his act. 

"Hey," he whispered. She put her right hand, bruised knuckles and all, over his. 

"Hey," she answered. 

"So, tell me, Sunshine," his eyes narrowed. "Did you and Scorpy have a good laugh at my expense?" 

Her stomach dropped to the floor, and she pulled her hand back as if she was burned. "John! It's not what you think!" she gasped in horror. 

"What are you talking about?" Chiana cocked her head and asked. 

"Our straitlaced Miss Sun didn't tell you about that? I don't blame her," he sneered. "You see, while we were all worrying ourselves sick about her, Aeryn was not only jumping into the sack with Scorpy, she was telling him all about how I was in bed!" 

Everyone turned to stare at her with shock. Everyone except Crais, who had been the only other member of the rescue team to see the replay. He moved to her side, as if to defend her from physical attack. "Crichton, I suggest that we discuss this some other time, when emotions are calmer," he warned. 

"No, Crais. I need an explanation now, if I'm going to continue to live on the same ship with some _whore_ who betrayed me," John answered, staring at her with utter contempt. "So, Princess, what was it? Was I really that pathetic, or was it the fact that he was at least half-Sebacean? Gotta keep those bloodlines as pure as possible. Or maybe it was payback for saving your miserable life!" 

Aeryn's anger exploded at that last comment. "Or, maybe I just mistook him for you! It got pretty hard to tell the difference there at the end!" she yelled, then stormed out of the room. She blindly ran down the hall to what had always been her sanctuary, the exercise facility. Everything was as she'd left it. The punching bag was still standing in the center of the mat. She blindly swung at it again and again. The skin on her knuckles opened up, but she didn't even feel the pain as she hit the bag between her tears. 

*** 

After Aeryn's explosion, everyone in the room stared at each other in shocked silence. Crais narrowed his eyes at the Human, who was still fuming. "That was uncalled for, Crichton," he snarled. "If I didn't know better, I'd think that you were still brain-damaged." He turned on his heel and went after Aeryn. Rygel shot a contemptuous look at Crichton, then hovered out of the room in Crais's wake. 

"John, I am sorry," Zhaan said gently. She had noticed her friend's bruised hands and her skin that was red and abraded from scrubbing. It didn't take much to know what was going on. 

"You knew, didn't you?" he interrogated her. She nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?" 

"She asked me not to." 

That only made him angrier, which made the line on the monitor reading out his blood pressure spiked higher. "I guess she wanted to play both sides to her advantage." 

Chiana slapped him, not hard, but enough to get his attention. "You frelling, stupid, ignorant _man_!" she spat. D'Argo tried to pull her back, but she shrugged him off. "Leave me alone, D'Argo! Let me tell you something, Crichton! If you think she frelled Scorpy on purpose, you'd better get that doctor to examine your head again! Who appointed you the moral authority on this ship, anyway? She was using the only weapons she had - her body, and Scorpy's fascination with you. I'd have done it, too. Aeryn was playing both sides, all right. She got him to trust her enough so that she could take him down. Frankly, you should be proud of her!" 

"Chiana's right, John," D'Argo agreed. "You saw what Scorpius wanted you to see." 

"It was a matter of survival," Zhaan added. "She would never purposefully hurt you like that, especially not with Scorpius. She was spying on him for her friends." 

"Okay, so she was playing Mata Hari," Crichton agreed. "But that was no reason to tell him what we'd done in the privacy of our quarters." 

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear before," Chiana hissed. "It was a desperation move!" 

"Perhaps you should examine all the facts before you judge her," Stark, who had been hiding in the back of the room, spoke up and chimed in. "Isn't that what you're always saying?" 

"She forgave you for actions that you took while you were under the control of that monster," Zhaan added. "Does she not deserve the same forgiveness?" 

Crichton's eyes got wide at that point. Zhaan knew that her words had found their mark. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, so that the bandages rested against the wall. "You're right, Zhaan. You're all right. Oh, man. I've really screwed things up bad this time, haven't I?" 

"I'd say that you have," D'Argo agreed. Zhaan shot him a warning look. 

The Human slumped forward and put his head in his hands. "I need to talk to her, before it's too late. Before she does something that she'll regret later." 

"Not now," Chiana advised. "Let her blow off some steam first." 

"No, I've got to talk to her now. D'Argo, help me up, will you?" 

Zhaan started to say that he shouldn't be out of bed, but stopped herself. Some things were more important than bed rest. "Chiana, help me get these electrodes off of him," she asked. 

John caught Chiana's hand before she could touch him. "No, Pip. I need you to go get something for me first..." 

*** 

Aeryn visualized Crichton's face on the punching bag, then Braca's, then Scorpius's. She punched and kicked the bag repeatedly. She was so focused on what she was doing that she didn't notice the door open. As she spun around to plant a flying kick on the bag, she nearly clobbered Rygel hovering by the bag on his thronesled. She pulled back sharply to avoid hitting him. "Rygel! Be careful! I could have hurt you!" 

"But you didn't," he reminded her. 

She looked over toward where Crais was leaning against the wall. Breathing heavily, she leaned on the bag. "So, have you come to gloat?" she gasped. 

"Not at all," he smiled gently. "Dominar Rygel and I were concerned about you." 

"I'm fine," she panted. "Go away, Bialar. I'm not in the mood right now." Rygel arched an earbrow at her use of Crais' first name. 

"Aeryn, Crichton overreacted. I saw that tape, too. Granted, it wasn't me that you were talking about, but I understood what you were doing and why." 

"I'm glad that someone does!" She removed her hand, leaving a bloody print on the bag. 

Rygel glided forward and stared at the handprint with concern. "We all understand." 

"Except for the one that matters the most." 

Crais suddenly stopped short, and his face clouded over as Talyn spoke to him. "I must go. Jothee has boarded Talyn and is attempting to manipulate him." He turned to leave, then looked back at her. "I just want to let you know that my offer is still open. You can join us anytime you wish. Please think about it." 

"Thank you, Cousin," she nodded. He turned and strode quickly down the corridor to the docking bay. She watched him go with mixed feelings. 

"Cousin?" Rygel asked incredulously. "You're related to Crais?" 

She looked over at Rygel, and remembered that the rest of Moya's crew didn't know about this new information. "His father was the elder brother of my father." 

"Just be careful, Aeryn. I know how devious cousins can be." 

"Oh, be quiet," she snapped, then stalked out of the exercise room. 

"Where do you think you're going?" Rygel asked as he hovered after her. 

"To my quarters. I'm going to pack my things, say goodbye to Pilot, then leave with Crais and Talyn. There's nothing left for me here," she replied. She heard Rygel grumbling over the whine of his sled as he pushed the motor to keep up with her. She ignored him. 

The lights were off when she entered her quarters. She hadn't recalled turning them off, but that didn't matter. She preferred to be in the dark. It matched her mood. Suddenly, she was aware of the presence of another being in her room. She stopped suddenly and reached for her pulse-pistol, wincing when her raw knuckles hit the hard leather of the holster. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she focused on a bright object in the middle of her bed. 

She turned the lights up to half. The object was actually several bright flowers from Zhaan's pharmacopeia. Sitting behind them was John Crichton, in a black work shirt and leather pants. With the shaved patch of hair and bandage on his head, he looked more ridiculous than usual. He looked up at her with tears in his haunted blue eyes. "Flowers?" she asked skeptically. 

"It's a custom on my planet. When a guy is in the doghouse for saying something really stupid to his girl, he gives her flowers when he apologizes," he explained. Then, he picked up the flower bouquet, stood up, and handed them to her awkwardly. 

She looked at him as if he'd still been brain-damaged. "A dog is a small quadruped that you keep as a pet, right? Then why would you be in one's house? Or is this another Erp saying?" 

"Another saying. Dammit, what I'm trying to say here, Aeryn, is that I'm sorry. I was way out of line to jump on you like that. You've been through a terrible, hellish experience, and I just made it worse. I can be so stupid sometimes..." 

"More than sometimes," she replied gently. Her heart felt like it was breaking. She took the bouquet from him. He felt the blood from her torn knuckles, and looked at her with shock. 

"My God, Aeryn! What did you do to yourself?" He took the bouquet from her and tossed it onto the bed. Then, he gently took both of her hands in his and examined them. He traced the cuts lightly with his fingertip. She tried not to wince, but the pain showed through on her face. "We need to get that cleaned up." 

"Don't worry about it, Crichton. The nanobots will heal it eventually." 

"Yeah, but it'll still hurt. Come on. You sit down on the bed." He took her by the shoulders and steered her. She resisted. "It's all right, Aeryn. You've been taking care of me for the past few weeks. Let me take care of you." She met his pain-filled eyes, then nodded. He guided her to the bed, and she sat. Then, he kissed her forehead gently. "I'll be right back." 

He went into the bathroom. Aeryn heard him fumbling around, then the sound of running water. She looked at the bright yellow flowers laying discarded on the bed, and pulled one of them out of the bouquet. _Such a strange custom_, she thought, _but very touching_. 

The water stopped, and he came back out of the bathroom with two wet washcloths. "Come here," he said as he sat on the bed behind her and leaned his back against the wall. She scooted back, so that she was sitting with his legs straddling her backside. Aeryn leaned back into his warm body and felt his arms embrace her. He wrapped one cold washcloth around her right hand, then the other around her left. "There. That ought to bring the swelling down. Hold them with your thumbs, like this." He moved her thumb to hold the ends together. 

She looked up at him with confusion. "Why are you doing this?" 

"Because I love you," he replied. Her eyes widened in surprise. "I know I said some awful things, but it was because I was a stupid jerk, and didn't have all of the facts." He stroked her damp hair and asked quietly, "Talk to me, Aeryn. Tell me what happened on that carrier." 

She shuddered with the memory, and he put his arms around her. Hesitantly, she told him everything that happened from when she woke up in Scorpius's quarters to when they got back to Moya. He listened to everything, punctuating her story with strokes of her hair, rubbing her back, and feathery kisses along her jawline. She felt his tension when she got to the part about recreating with Scorpius, and how degrading it had been. But he said nothing, just listened. 

When she finally finished, he kissed the top of her head. "So, you and Crais are cousins?" 

"Yes, John," she reassured him. "You have nothing worry about, though. Even if you," she hesitated, "weren't around anymore, I wouldn't have a relationship with him. Peacekeepers have very strict rules against mating with close relatives." 

"So do Humans. Unless they're from Kentucky or West Virginia, that is," he chuckled. He moved his arm, and inadvertently brushed her breast. A shot of pain on her nipple from one of Scorpius's bites triggered a brief flashback. She stiffened involuntarily and gasped. "Whoa, Aeryn," he exclaimed, pulling his arm back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that." 

She looked away from him. "I know. It's just that," she shuddered and couldn't continue. 

"Hey, now, Sunshine," he put both arms around her and pulled her in closer. "I understand. It's going to take some time for us to put the pieces back together. He hurt you. He hurt me, too. I'll never forgive him for ruining both of our lives." 

She considered what he said. "Scorpius did do one good thing," she reminded him. "If it wasn't for him and his twisted idea of revenge against you, I'd still be dead. He did save my life." 

"Is that why you let him live?" 

"No," she replied honestly. "I wanted to kill him. Khalaan, or whatever I was channeling, wanted him dead, too. But Daya stopped me. You were still connected to him, John. If I killed Scorpius, I might have killed you, too. You barely survived as it was. Zhaan's Goddess seems to think that you're someone pretty special. She stopped me to protect you." She tilted her head up and kissed him. He returned her kiss, but he didn't push things any farther. 

"Officer Sun, Commander Crichton," Pilot's voice interrupted them on the comm system. "We have a situation. Please come up to Command immediately." 

John released her. She stood up quickly, and helped him up. He lost his balance, and fell forward into her. She caught him, and their eyes met. "Thanks," he said. "I'm still a little shaky." 

"Nice to see that you two have patched things up," Rygel said from the door to Aeryn's quarters. "But Pilot said immediately." He sniffed, then sped off. 

"Come on, let's go," she said. John put his arm around her shoulders, and leaned on her as they both made their way up to Command. 

Everyone had already arrived when they showed up. "What's going on?" John asked. 

Crais looked from him to Aeryn, then over to the screen. "Talyn just received a high-level encrypted message. He's patched it through to Moya. Go ahead, Talyn." 

Commander Tal's face came up on the screen. He was bleeding from a wound to his forehead. Behind him, Aeryn could see several Peacekeepers laying on the hangar deck with pulse-rifle wounds. "Bialar, we've got trouble. Scorpius escaped with several officers who were still loyal to him. We tried to stop them, but they overwhelmed us. He's loose, he's got support, and he's out for revenge. Be very careful. We've both seen how vindictive he can be. Tal out." 

"This changes everything," Aeryn said as she stared at the image of her mentor on the screen. Behind his frozen image, she noticed a medic with bright red hair bending over an injured man. "At least Daya survived," she nodded at the screen. 

"Thank the Goddess for that," Zhaan agreed. 

"That's it, I'm staying here with you," Stark announced. He put his arm around Zhaan. 

"You two might be safer aboard Talyn right now," Crais offered to Aeryn and John. "No offense, but he's better equipped to protect you." 

She exchanged looks with John, and took his hand. "I'm not leaving Moya," she said. 

"I'm not gonna hide from Scorpy. Not anymore," John added with fierce determination. "Let him come. We'll be ready for him this time." 

"I understand," Crais agreed. "However, this is another matter that we need to discuss." He looked over at D'Argo. "Earlier, Jothee was aboard Talyn without my permission." 

Jothee glared at Crais. "I wasn't doing anything! I was just checking him out!" 

"I know. Talyn didn't mind. In fact, he only notified me when you started doing something that was potentially dangerous. He likes you, young man. I have no idea why." 

"Jothee!" D'Argo growled. "You are not a slave anymore. You should ask permission..." 

"Wait a microt, Father," Jothee shot back. "I told you, I was just checking Talyn out! He's half Peacekeeper, I'm half Peacekeeper..." 

"Your mother was not a Peacekeeper!" D'Argo snapped. 

Aeryn suddenly felt insulted by the Luxan's tone of voice. She looked over at Crais, who was watching Jothee closely. "Watch what you say," she hissed as she nodded toward the image of her mentor on the screen, "Peacekeepers risked their lives to save mine." 

"Jothee! D'Argo!" Chiana stepped in between father and son. "Both of you, calm down!" 

"Thank you, Chiana," Crais nodded. "Jothee, I have a proposition for you. Since Aeryn is not coming with us, Talyn and I would like you to join us." 

"Absolutely not!" D'Argo shouted. 

"You don't have a say in this, Father! I've been on my own for a long time." 

"But you are not a warrior!" 

"I could teach him to be one," Crais interjected. That stopped D'Argo cold. 

"I think this proposal has some merit," Zhaan said, putting her arm around D'Argo and steering him away from Jothee. "Jothee has done well to survive on his own, but there are many things that he still must learn." 

"I should be the one to teach him, not a Peacekeeper," he grumbled. Aeryn scowled at him and put her hands on her hips in a subtle warning. 

"Look, we're wasting time here," John jumped in. "Scorpy is out there looking for us. The best thing right now would be for Jothee to take Crais's offer. D'Argo, just deal with it." 

"Actually, I think it's a wonderful idea," Aeryn added. "It would solve several problems." 

"Captain, you've got yourself a crewman," Jothee agreed. He and Crais clasped arms. 

"Take care of my son, Captain," D'argo surrendered. "He's all I have." 

"I'll treat him like my own kinsman," Crais agreed, looking cryptically at Aeryn. 

Meanwhile, Jothee was hugging Chiana goodbye. Aeryn arched her eyebrow at how close the two teens were, and she nudged John. "Yeah, I saw," he whispered. "This is beginning to look like the Love Boat. I just hope that I'm not Gopher." 

She reached up and whispered back in his ear, "I think I liked you better when you couldn't come up with all of those stupid Erp references," she teased. 

*** 

An arn later, Talyn, Crais, and Jothee starburst away. Aeryn and John watched them go from Command. He stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist. "Regret not going with them?" he murmured in her ear. 

"Not in the least," she replied. "I belong here on Moya. Since we got back, I feel even more connected to her than ever before." 

"He's still out there, Aeryn. He's hunting us. He won't stop hunting us." 

"I know. Does that frighten you, John?" 

"Scares the crap outta me." 

"Me too," she admitted. "I don't want to think about what would happen if he captured either one of us..." She shuddered. 

He tightened his embrace and nuzzled her neck. "But now, we've evened the score a little bit. He's cut off from his power base, with only a handful of Peacekeepers to back him up. Your friends are high-tailing it back home, where they'll tell everyone what Scorpy was up to. With luck, they'll be after him, too. And best of all, he's not in my head anymore." 

"I'm glad of that," she agreed. "But I wouldn't put anything past him." 

He kissed the top of her head. "He may be out there, but we're both here, both alive, and both relatively whole. And, after what we've been through, I'm thankful for that." 

Aeryn nestled back into his arms, where she felt like nothing could touch her. "So am I, my love. So am I."   


* * *

  



End file.
